The Edge of Forever
by Jade S
Summary: The Dursleys have reached an all time low, and Harry knows that it's time for him to get away. But when he looks to Sirius for help things only get worse. Much worse...Please r/r!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Shocking, isn't it?  
  
A/N: Here it is, the long lost prologue to this fic. It may seem kind of irrelevant to rest of the story though, which is kinda why I scraped it to begin with. That and the fact that it's not all that well written. But now that people are actually reading this there are a few things I wanted to touch on before the story got more involved, though it'll probably all seem rather pointless. So, yeah, here it is. The short, badly written, detail lacking, originally disposed of prologue. Enjoy :)   
  
  
  
***  
  
The Edge of Forever  
  
Prologue  
  
***  
  
~Another day inside my world...~  
  
  
It was early evening when Harry Potter found himself walking slowly through the small park. Wiping his forehead dry of the sweat that had collected there he found himself collapsing haphazardly on the nearest bench. It had been a very long, very hot day and though the waning sunlight made the humid air a good deal more tolerable it was still less than comfortable.   
  
The summer hadn't been going as well as he'd hoped, but then again he couldn't remember a time when it had. Aside from the usual Dursley tormenting he received daily, the new set of chores he received nearly every morning, and constant warnings from Uncle Vernon that he keep any and all of "his kind" away from now on, he was still getting over the emotional blow of his hazardous school year. As much as he hated to admit it he still hadn't gotten over everything that had happened. Voldemort was back in power, Cedric was dead...In retrospect it all seemed so unreal.   
  
Then again, it wasn't like it had been very long ago, it was perfectly normal for him to still be upset by it all. But after all of the horrible things he'd been through it seemed wrong for him to dwell on anything. Was this really any different? Harry sighed sadly as he thought over it again. Yes, this was definitely different. Everything was different. But did that mean that he had to be to?   
  
Laughter from the surrounding children only made him frown more. Why couldn't he be like that too? It was all most painful for him to let his eye's wander over the happy children in the playground across from him. Running and laughing, playing with friends. Some with smiles that consumed the whole of their faces as loving parents pushed them higher and higher on the creaking old swings.   
  
He wondered briefly if he'd ever been like that. Happy and carefree. Looking away sadly he closed his eye's against the thought. If he'd ever been happy like that he certainly couldn't remember it now. Something about that seemed very wrong. His entire life seemed so wrong. No one was supposed to live like that. He'd seen things in his fourteen short years that seasoned war veterans would never have to face in there lives. He had witnessed pure untamed hatred, the rebirth of Voldemort, the death of a friend...And he had survived.   
  
That was all behind him now, and that's where it needed to stay. That's where he would make it stay. He had to...  
  
A high-pitched bark from the tiny dog at his feet pulled Harry from his pensive state. Lowering his gaze to the little creature, he smiled weakly. He'd almost forgotten why he'd come out here in the first place.  
  
An old women by the name of Beverly Phillips had just moved in about a block away and had asked Dudley of all people if he would be kind enough to walk her dog, Sugar. Naturally, Harry had "volunteered" to go instead. It wasn't so bad though, at least it got him out of the house for a bit. Besides, he liked dogs. Though he had to admit, he quite preferred big black dogs to little white ones.   
  
"All right, I'll get up." He sighed softly as he got to his feet. He would have been perfectly content sitting there all night if he could. It was, after all, better than going home. But that would have been unfair to Sugar. Walking her so that she could get some exercise was a feat not easily achieved while sitting on a bench.   
  
He was just stepping back onto the sidewalk when he realized he was being watched, and a tiny shiver ran down his spine despite the unnatural heat. He wasn't scared though, this sort of thing had happened before. Strange people used to stare at him all the time when he was a child. Just random wizards or witches trying to get a glimpse of the-boy-who-lived, he supposed. He had grown somewhat used to it over the years, but that didn't mean he had to like it.  
  
"C'mon, Sugar." He whispered, tugging lightly at the small dog's leash. "Let's get you home."   
  
'Let's get me out of here...'  
  
Harry couldn't be sure, but he could swear that whoever was watching him didn't take their eyes off of him until he was safely inside Mrs. Phillips quaint little house. It didn't really matter though, he'd just use the back door when he decided to leave.  
  
~~~  
  
A/N: OK, yeah, that was fun...*Ahem* Well, anyway, one reason that I stuck this in was for the simple reason that I didn't even mention everything that happened at the end of the fourth book before. So, as this fic takes place shortly after I figured I'd better shove it in there and explain why it's missing in the other chapters. Harry's sort of in denial about it all, he's thinks that he can just get over it and move on. But after going through something like that getting over it takes time. Harry didn't really allow for that. He doesn't realize that it has changed him, which is part of the reason why he's a bit err...reckless in the later chapters. Other than that I can't really reveal anything. So sorry about that. And sorry that this kinda sucks....*sighs* Yeah... o.O;; 


	2. Broken

Disclaimer: As we all know by now, Harry Potter is the creation of J.K. Rowling. The lyrics at the beginning are from the 12 Stones song "Broken", hence the name of the chapter. So basically, as usual, I don't own anything!  
  
A/N: Hi, this is my first HP fic. I wasn't planning on posting it just yet, but I couldn't help myself! I don't know how good it is, it's been a while since I've written and any fics, and as I said, this is a new fandom for me (fanfiction wise I mean) so it might be a bit...err...scetchy? I dunno, I'm just not sure how well it turned out. Let me know, ok?  
  
Umm...just a quick note on the plot here, this chapter involves Harry getting abused by the Dursleys, which I know has been done a thousand times over, but let me assure you, that this is not what this fic is about. That's just set up for the rest of it, so...err...yeah...just thought I'd let you know before you run away screaming about newbie HP authors and overused plots! Especially since it opens most generically with Harry waking up from a nightmare...Oops! All right, I'm done for now. Please r/r I hope it's ok! *Crosses fingers*  
  
***  
The Edge of Forever  
Chapter One: Broken  
***  
  
~All this fear holding me. My heart is cold and I believe, nothing's gonna change...until I'm broken~  
  
It was well after midnight when Harry awoke. Emerald eye's snapping open in horror and surprise, it was all he could do not to cry out. His breathing was shallow and quick, the boy's thin frame visibly trembling in the wan moonlight. A cold sweat had settled over the his body, plastering his unruly hair to his dampened forehead. And on that forehead his scar was searing with the most unusual kind of pain. A pain so strange that if he were asked to describe it his reply would make no sense whatsoever. It was like being on fire while shivering desperately in a frigid winter breeze, and though his head was surely capable of splitting at any given second, Harry found the pain almost tolerable.  
  
Perhaps it was because he had already experienced such pain at it's worst, but it was still strange for him to be able find any composure under the circumstances. The pain was different this time. It wasn't quite as bad as when Voldemort was near but at the same time it was worse than when he killed. This pain was new. What could that possibly mean...?  
  
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Harry tried to remember the dream he'd been having before he'd so abruptly woken up, but everything was a complete blur to him, and he found it quite impossible to make anything out. He didn't like it. His dreams were always a bit fuzzy, but from this one he could remember nothing, and to wake up in such a state without any idea why...No, he didn't like this at all!  
  
As though out of habit his head snapped in the direction of Hedwig's cage. He had to owl Dumbledore immediately! Maybe then he could make some sense of things. But it wasn't until that very moment that he remembered the one thing that could possibly complicate matters more.   
  
Hedwig's cage was empty. His post owl wasn't there.  
  
Harry sighed deeply, biting down on his lower lip in bewilderment. It had only been a few short hours ago that he'd sent her off with letters for Ron and Hermione, and Hermione was on vacation right now. Hedwig wouldn't be back for days! Now he really didn't like this. But what could he do about it now? Nothing, that's what! He felt so helpless just then.  
  
But perhaps he was imagining things, he tried to convince himself. The pain in his scar had already dissipated into a gentle throb. Maybe the dream meant nothing. But still...  
  
There was nothing he could do right now, he reassured himself firmly. He'd just have to wait a few days until Hedwig returned. There was nothing more that could be done. He might as well get some sleep, it would, after all, make the time go faster.  
  
But Harry should have known right then that he wasn't going to sleep easily that night, or the next for that matter. He should have known that things couldn't possibly be that simple.   
  
***  
  
Harry flipped the bacon sleepily, watching dully as it sizzled on the hot skillet before him. The pain in his scar had completely disappeared by now, the fact that there had even been a dream just a distant and fuzzy memory. Though he was still a bit worried by it he knew that there was little he could do before Hedwig was back and he was doing everything in his power to keep his mind on other things. Even if that meant aiding in the destruction of Dudley's so called diet.   
  
After Harry had gone with the Weasley's last summer his cousin's 'diet' had become a total joke. Apparently there'd been a news report on one night about how eating a lot could actually make one *lose* weight. Harry hadn't heard exactly how it worked, but it definitely didn't seem to be working now! Dudley had surely become larger around than an adult hippopotamus, and yet when anyone even came close to stating so Aunt Petunia insisted incessantly that her handsome little boy was merely stimulating his metabolism. What this so called metabolism she kept going on about was, Harry wasn't sure. He'd long ago come to the conclusion that Dudley didn't have any metabolism to speak of.  
  
As far the downfall of his cousin's diet was concerned however, Harry really couldn't complain. If Dudley was eating again, that meant that the rest of the family could eat as well. Not that his own meager meals were anything to brag about, but anything was better than munching on celery and grapefruit everyday. Harry was happy to know that at least one of the strips of bacon he was frying had his name on it. How pathetic!  
  
"Aren't you done with that yet, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked him impatiently from the table. Harry just sighed, he'd only started cooking a couple of minutes ago, what the hell did he expect? Luckily Harry was able to close his mouth before his thought's formed into words, only letting his shoulders slump as a tiny frown appeared on his face. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his composure around the Dursleys. They really hadn't been *that* much worse since he'd come back this year--except maybe for Dudley, who was still quite bitter about the whole Ton Tongue Toffee incident--but he wasn't exactly the same boy he'd been when he'd left last summer either.   
  
It wasn't at all improbable that he'd act a little differently after what he'd been through. As a result he'd been much quieter this summer, which the Dursleys didn't seem to mind in the least. Of course that gave Dudley and Uncle Vernon an entirely new way to torture him--See which one could make him crack first. The two of them seemed to be going out of their way to irritate him, more so than usual. Harry was pretty sure that they had a bet going to see how long it would take him to fight back, and if he didn't get a grip soon they wouldn't have to wait much longer to declare a winner.  
  
"Well?" His uncle asked again, glaring at the boys back. "Are we going to eat or what?!"  
  
Harry just nodded stiffly, pulling out a plate for the bacon. What the hell did he mean were they going to eat? They already *were* eating! Dudley, for one, had already devoured both his and Harry's eggs and toast, and Uncle Vernon hadn't exactly left room for much more either. What more did they want from him?  
  
He turned around slowly, trying to keep the look on his face a little more neutral as he headed for the table. But it was at that very moment that the all but forgotten pain in his scar chose to come back, and it came back with a vengeance. Harry bit down on his lip to keep himself from crying out, squeezing his eye's shut tightly as pain flowed steadily from his from his forehead.   
  
"Dad, what's wrong with him? What's he doing?" Dudley looked very frightened indeed, the look on his piggy face suggesting that Harry's current predicament might actually have some kind of negative effect on himself.   
  
Uncle Vernon jumped from his seat immediately, placing his strong hands on the boy's shoulders and shaking him lightly. "What the hell are you doing, boy?!"  
  
What was he doing? What was he doing? He wasn't doing anything, he was just standing there, trying to keep himself from giving into the considerable pain threatening to split his head in two! But as his Uncle gave another shake, his head lolling slightly back and forth, the pain finally overwhelmed him, and just as his teeth were beginning to draw blood from his lower lip, his mouth fell open in blood curdling scream.  
  
The last thing he heard was the shattering of china against tile and the far away shouts of his angered uncle as he crumbled to the floor.  
  
***  
  
Harry opened his eye's in surprise, blinking several times, to see his purple faced uncle glaring down at him. He looked ready to kill. Dudley's round face swam slowly into his vision, the grin crossing the boy's visage blurred and far away. Aunt Petunia merely stared down bewildered at the shattered plate of bacon.   
  
The pain in his scar had dulled considerably, but the experience was still a bit disorienting. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly in confusion when he found his lips wet. In fact, his whole upper body was wet! It took him a moment to realize that the smile on his cousin's face wasn't only because of Harry's peculiar predicament, but also most definitely had something to do with the empty jug of water clutched in his fat right hand.   
  
"W-What..." He stuttered bewildered.   
  
"He fainted!" Dudley suddenly burst out laughing, chewing merrily on a fatty piece of bacon he picked up off the floor.  
  
"Faint-fainted...I...what?"   
  
"You fainted!" He said with a look close to triumph spreading across his piggy face. "Look at him! Just like a-"  
  
"What the hell was that?!" Uncle Vernon cut his son off, he didn't exactly look concerned.   
  
"I...My scar." Harry managed to get out as his vision finally came back into complete focus. His scar? What the hell *had* happened to him?! He hadn't been in that much pain since...since his encounter with Voldemort!   
  
"I have to owl Dumbledore!" He shouted suddenly, attempting to push himself into a sitting position, and failing miserably when his hand slipped on the slick floor.  
  
"What's this nonsense?" Uncle Vernon demanded angrily, glaring daggers at his nephew.  
  
"Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed all but deliriously. "My headmaster! He told me to owl him if my scar hurt!" And then suddenly remembering Hedwig's absence, Harry blurted out quite possibly the dumbest thing he could ever say in front of his uncle. "I have to get to Hogwarts!"  
  
And that was it.  
  
Had Harry not been on the floor already, he'd surely be there now. Crying out in shock and pain, Harry's head hit the hard tile beneath him before he even felt his uncle's hand on his cheek. Was up against the wall before he realized he was standing, his uncle's eye's positively boiling over with rage. "WHAT?" He screamed, slamming the boy back roughly against the hard plaster.  
  
"I mean my school!" Harry shouted suddenly, realizing his mistake all to late. "I meant-"  
  
"I don't care what you MEANT" Uncle Vernon yelled down at the boy, obviously furious. "I told you never to speak of that...FREAK school in this house! NEVER!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" What more could he say? Still his uncle didn't relent, wrapping his hands around the boys neck and slamming him again. This time Harry's head hit dangerously hard, and he threatened to lose consciousness for the second time that morning. Obviously he'd gone to far this time. To first, cry out like that--what if the neighbors heard?--and then to collapse--an obvious side effect of his 'abnormality'--shatter his aunt's good china *and* ruin breakfast all at once! Under normal circumstances such act's would certainly have earned him the full summer locked away in his room, a good smack upside the head and countless beating's from his cousin's smelting stick, but that hadn't been all he'd done just then. On top of everything he'd broken the golden rule of survival among the Dursleys--NEVER mention anything having to do with magic. From the looks of it all he'd finally made his uncle snap. Oh, he was in for it now.  
  
"I'm sorry!" He screamed again, desperation starting to creep into his voice as he gasped for breathe. "Let go!" He cried, trying to push the much larger man away. He knew it was a loosing battle, but he had to do something. "Let me the hell go!" But his uncle continued to shake his forcefully, pressing his thumbs more firmly into his nephew's throat, that awful look of rage never fading from his face.   
  
'Oh God! He's going to kill me!'   
  
The frown on Harry's frightened face deepened in bewilderment as the full weight of that statement began to sink in. His uncle was going to kill him...He nearly laughed just then despite it all. After all that he'd been through, after all the run ins he'd had with Voldemort and lived to tell about, after everything that he'd endured, his UNCLE was going to kill him. Somehow that just didn't seem fair.  
  
Yet here he was, dangling as helpless as a discarded rag doll in his uncle's firm grip, the simple task of getting his footing all but impossible. And all the while his scar burned dully and his head ached. This wasn't right. It just wasn't right! He couldn't let it end this way.  
  
It was out of utter desperation that Harry began feebly kicking at his uncle's legs, and it was out of sheer luck that he connected sharply with the enraged man's ankle. Uncle Vernon cried out in pain, dropping Harry so suddenly that the boy again tumbled to the floor. This time however he struggled rather quickly to his feet, ignoring the incessant pounding in his head as he raced out of the kitchen.  
  
When he got to the staircase however he stopped for a moment, considering his options. He couldn't go up to his room now, not if he really wanted to escape his uncle's wrath. He couldn't stay in that house another minute! And so, he rushed to the front door, throwing it open with such a force that it nearly flew off of it's hinges. He had to get away! Had to get out of that house!  
  
However, the prospect looked rather bleak as he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, dragging him back into the dimly lit foyer.  
  
"No! Let me go!" The boy screamed, flailing his arms and legs as he struggled to break free of his uncle's iron grip. If he'd had his wand on him he would have cursed the man fifty times over, despite the ministry's warning. Despite the fact that Hogwarts was his only real escape form this house. If they kicked him out, he'd simply run away or go live with Ron or someone until Sirius was cleared. Sirius was the only one who could get him away from this madness, and he had to get away!   
  
Harry gasped in pain as his uncle's fist suddenly collided with his lower abdomen, tearing him out of his pensive state. His stomach screamed in protest at the action and it was all that Harry could do to catch his breathe.   
  
"Where the hell did you think you were going?!" Uncle Vernon screamed at the disoriented boy.  
  
"Let GO!" Harry shouted again, twisting his body into an awkward position, unsure of exactly what was going on around him.  
  
"Don't you dare leave when I'm talking to you!" The man screamed. "How dare you! After all the years we wasted on you! After everything we've given you!"  
  
"You never gave me anything!" Harry shouted back, vaguely aware of the angry tears burning in the back of his eye's. "Just let me go! I don't want anything you have to give me!"  
  
"Why you disrespectful little..After we fed you, and clothed you and put a roof over your ungrateful head! After we made Dudley give up his second room for...." Uncle Vernon trailed off then, suddenly he didn't look so furious. In fact, he was smiling. Somehow, Harry wasn't very reassured by the action.   
  
Before Harry knew what was happening he was being dragged helplessly passed the staircase, the door beside him being quickly thrown open. Harry paled as he saw what Uncle Vernon was planing to do. He was shoving him none to gently into the now overly cluttered cupboard beneath the stairs. "No!" Harry screamed as he was thrown into the tiny space he'd once called him room. "No, you-" But by that time the door had already slammed in the hysterical boy's face. "Let me out of here! You can't keep me in here! Not anymore! You can't keep me in here!"   
  
"You'll stay in there until you've learned some respect." His uncle laughed as he spoke, apparently highly amused by the boy's cries for help.  
  
"NO! Let me out of here! LET ME OUT!"  
  
Harry pounded his fists so hard against the door that the wood began to splinter and his knuckles to bleed. Screamed so loud and so long that his throat became raw and he could barely utter another sound. Fought so hard against his capture that he collapsed against the wall in obvious exhaustion. It was only a matter of time before his eye's fell closed, and a restless sleep finally claimed him. He'd never been so tired...  
  
***  
  
It was at least a good 72 hours before the door creaked open, and Harry found himself staring up nervously at Aunt Petunia.   
  
"You see what happens when you disrespect your uncle like that?" She asked glaring down at him. "Serves you right. Now get upstairs before I change my mind about letting you out of here! Vernon wanted to leave you in there all week. You should really be thanking me."   
  
Harry struggled weakly to his feet as his Aunt disappeared into the kitchen. Thanking her? THANKING HER?! Thanking her for what exactly? For standing by and watching his uncle beat him or for leaving him in that damned cupboard for over three days? Harry gave a shuddering sigh as he made his way slowly to his room, stopping only to glare at Dudley as he threw a few broken toys out into the hallway at him.   
  
He couldn't live like this! He simply couldn't stand it anymore. The Dursleys had never given him anything without finding some screwed up way for him to pay for it. They certainly didn't deserve his respect! He couldn't live with them anymore, and frankly he was afraid to.   
  
What had happened the other day with his uncle had never really occurred before, and now that it was happening he couldn't help but be a bit frightened. Sure he'd been knocked around a bit, and he'd certainly been locked in that damned cupboard before, but it had never been like this. He'd been locked in there for over a month at a time, but then he had been feed and allowed out once or twice a day. He'd never been trapped in there for three days straight like that before. And if he had his way, he never would again.  
  
No, if he had his way he'd never have to set foot in number four Privet Dr. again. His neglectful relatives would be out of his life forever. He'd worked the whole thing out in the cupboard, he was going live with Sirius. The fact that Sirius was an escaped convict and that he didn't really have a home didn't phase him in the least. Anything would be better than this!   
  
The Dursely's had been doing everything in their power to break him down and shatter his spirit since that fateful night he'd been left on their door step, but no matter how close they came, he wouldn't let them succeed. He wouldn't let them break him completely. Not if he could help it.  
  
Harry was delighted to see that Hedwig was back when he entered his room, cocking her head at him, apparently concerned at his state of being. He gave his owl a forced half smile before pulling our a piece of parchment and scribbling down a hurried note to his godfather.  
  
He wasn't even sure what he'd written when he went to tie the letter to Hedwig's leg, tossing aside the things she'd brought from Ron and Hermione. Hedwig made a noise of complaint at the action, nipping irritably at Harry's hand, obviously upset that he didn't seem to care about the letters she'd brought him.   
  
"Hey!" Harry exclaimed at first, before realizing what he'd done. "Sorry girl." He apologized fondly, hurriedly retrieving a handful owl treats for her. "I'm just a bit eager to get this letter to Sirius."  
  
Hedwig made another irritated sound, but then took the treats he gave her without further complaint. It wasn't long before she was flying out of sight, and Harry heaved a sigh of relief as she went--the owl he'd been planing to send Dumbledore and the previous pain in his scar forgotten completely.  
  
~~~  
  
A/N: All right, did that totally suck? I don't know, I kinda like it but at the same time...ugh! It's definitely not my best writing, most fanfiction isn't, but...well...it's not completely horrible, is it? I wasn't sure about the whole cupboard thing, I just thought it would be a good way for some time to lapse (aka: I'm lazy) and that it would undoubtedly bring back some bad memories for Harry. Plus, I wanted to add a bit of realism to it all, if that makes any sense. I mean in the books the boy's gotten locked away in there for over a month at a time, but if they didn't let him out and feed him once and awhile wouldn't he starve or dehydrate to death?   
  
Also, as abuse was never directly discussed in the books, aside from Dudley, I wanted this to be the first time anything like this had ever happened. sure, I imagine Harry's been slapped around a bit, but there's a difference between that and out right abuse, so...right.   
  
Umm...Don't expect all of the chapters to be this long, I just wanted to get to a certain point before I ended it. I know this one was kind of cluttered and I wish I could say that the rest wont be, but I really can't promise that. Sorry -_-;; I wonder if anyone'll actually read/review this, I'd appreciate some good harsh(ish) constructive criticism but...I dunno, I guess I'll just have to see. This doesn't seem like much of an attention getter but...well...ugh...I dunno. I tried! I hope you liked this!!! 


	3. Consequence

Disclaimer: Hey guess what everyone? I don't own Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling does. And the lyrics at the beginning are from Linkin Park's "Pushing me Away" so I don't own them either. *Sighs*  
  
A/N: Err...hi...Sorry this took me so long! I was planing on posting this the other day but I was, umm...otherwise detained. But anyway, here it is. Chapter two. I don't really like this part, it's a bit shorter and the first one was better, but I needed this one so...here it is. Please r/r.  
  
  
***  
The Edge of Forever  
Chapter Two: Consequence  
***  
  
~Everything has to end...you'll soon find we're out of time left to watch it all unwind~  
  
Harry eye's slowly fluttered open, soft rays of sunlight falling gently across his face. He'd actually slept well last night, as he was far too exhausted not to, but this morning things were different. This morning he sat up with a start.   
  
"What did I do?!" He wondered out loud, surprised at the frantic voice coming out of his horse throat. "How could I..." He trailed off as he realized he was talking to himself, throwing his legs over the side of his bed and resting his elbows against his knees so that he could effectively bury his face in his hands. It had suddenly dawned on him how completely stupid he had been the day before. How could he have sent Hedwig away without writing to Dumbledore? How could he send such an owl to Sirius?  
  
That was what really bothered him now, Sirius. He couldn't even remember what he'd written in that owl, only that it had been pathetically desperate, and was sure to make his godfather terribly worried. Knowing Sirius, he'd come out of hiding just to help him, and it would be all his fault when he got caught! How could he not think of that? How could he be so selfish? He'd always gone out of his way to keep his godfather from worrying about him, and now...now he would surely risk his freedom to get Harry out of a perfectly safe house.  
  
OK, so perhaps, 'perfectly safe' wasn't the best way to describe it, not after what his uncle had done to him the other day. But he'd never done that before, so maybe it was only a one time thing, and it's not like Harry had really gotten hurt then...much. His cheek was still a bit tender where Uncle Vernon had hit him, but that bruise would fade away soon, and his headache had gone almost completely. He was fine. Even the cupboard instant hadn't been *so* bad. It wasn't like he hadn't grown up in there. Of course, he really was a little big for it now, the light no longer worked and it was a bit more cluttered, but that hadn't exactly been the end of the world. And it certainly wasn't worth Sirius getting caught just to get him out of there!   
  
There was also the whole disturbance with his scar the other day. Dumbledore needed to know! But still, right then, that seemed almost insignificant to the boy. He couldn't stop thinking about Sirius. About what could come of all this.   
  
He finally decided that he'd just have to send another owl, he knew that he shouldn't use Hedwig so much, but what more could he do? And so, pulling out a quill and another blank piece of parchment, Harry began writing his godfather second letter, somewhat of a retraction of the last one.   
  
~~~  
Dear Snuffles,  
I'm fine. I was sick the other day when I sent you that owl, but I'm really OK now. Seriously. Don't worry about me, I don't need any help!  
-Harry  
~~~  
  
There. It was done. And it could be believable. Maybe...If he was lucky...Very lucky. Now all he had to do was wait for Hedwig to return and he could send her back to Sirius before he had a chance to run off and do something stupid. The only *real* problem Harry'd had lately was his scar--which he had no intention of telling his godfather about right now--and on that note he decided that he'd better at least get his owl to Dumbledore written so he wouldn't have a chance to forget it again.   
  
~~~  
Dumbledore,  
Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt the other day and you said that I should owl you if it did. It's OK now, so it's probably nothing to worry about, I'm just letting you know.  
-Harry  
~~~  
  
Harry nearly laughed as he read though the hurried owl. It had only been a year ago that he'd thought better of even writing one that sounded suspiciously like that. Of course he didn't know then that it could actually be important.  
  
Setting the two short owls on his desk, Harry got to his feet and looked for some clothes. After dressing rather quickly he made his way down stairs, ready to begin another day as his relatives lackey. After all, what else was there to do?  
  
***  
  
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, aside from a few lesser comments thrown his way, and the ever lasting glare of everyone one in the household. But that was all something he'd grown used to over the years. It had all fallen on deaf ears anyway, for Harry was far to preoccupied with his thoughts about Sirius to pay much attention to anything else. He went through his day rather mechanically, doing what was bid of him, and keeping quiet as he did. It wasn't until later that evening that anything unusual happened.   
  
Harry had just sat down to read the discarded owls he'd received from Ron and Hermione the previous day when his uncle's booming voice met his ears. "Boy, get down here right now!" Harry frowned. He didn't exactly sound happy.  
  
Cringing slightly at his uncle's irritated tone, Harry stuffed the letters into his pocket and pushed his chair back from the desk, ready to leave his small room behind. His hand had just began turning the door knob when he thought better of it. Walking back into the room he threw his trunk open and rummaged around hurriedly for his wand. Uncle Vernon sounded upset about something, and after what happened the other day Harry wasn't taking any chances.   
  
Shoving his wand carefully into his overly baggy pocket, Harry walked quickly from the room, and made his way down the stairs. "What is it, Uncle Ver..." And trailed off in confusion as his eye's fell upon the unexpected man standing in the doorway.  
  
His attire wasn't exactly, well...normal. He wore an old gray suit jacket, a pokadot magenta tie, and a pair of too short trousers from a blue pinstriped suit. But it was the lime green bowler atop his head of gray hair that gave the man away instantly.   
  
"Fudge?!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, nearly falling the rest of the way down the staircase. "What are-"  
  
"You know this man?!" Uncle Vernon demanded, glaring at the boy as he finally reached the front door before turning a disgusted gaze on the Minister of Magic.   
  
If Fudge noticed the man's bitter stare he ignored it, instead turning his attention to the obviously confused boy before him. "Harry, I'm afraid something rather...unexpected has come to our attention, and your going to have to come with me to the Ministry right now."   
  
"Wait a second, who do you think you are?!" Uncle Vernon seemed quite perturbed at the strange man's intrusion, and was glaring at both Fudge and Harry for some kind of answer.   
  
"Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." He replied, and then trying to read Vernon's expression he added, "I understand that you must be worried about your nephew, but I can assure you that he'll be just fine. We only need to talk with him a little."  
  
Harry all but laughed at the way Fudge had misread his uncle's words. The Dursleys'd probably be happier if something did happen to him! It would surely be the highlight of their summer.  
  
"You haven't been telling *them* where we live again, have you?" Uncle Vernon looked absolutely furious. After what had happened with the Weasley's last summer Harry had been given strict instructions not to let any one of "his kind" anywhere near number four Privet Dr. Oh, he was definitely going to hear about this later.  
  
Sighing at the hopeless situation, Harry turned to his uncle and said, "No, I didn't tell him where we live." He then turned to Fudge, wondering what exactly he was doing here. For a moment he just stared, confusion written clearly across his young face. What on earth could he want? Didn't he think that he was crazy or something? What could be so important? "You said you needed to talk to me about something?" The boy didn't know what else he could ask.   
  
"Yes, Harry. But not here, in my office." Fudge replied quietly before turning to Uncle Vernon with a look that hid not a trace of his annoyance. "I'm sorry for coming to your home uninvited, Mr. Dursley, but it's very important that we speak with your nephew. C'mon Harry, we'll portkey from the living room. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention by doing it outside."  
  
Harry nodded at the minister, wary of what Uncle Vernon's reaction would be to all this. They entered the living room to find Dudley and Aunt Petunia on the couch watching television. Both gave a start as Fudge entered the room.   
  
"Who's that?" Dudley asked rather bluntly, eying Fudge with obvious confusion and distaste. "And *what* is he wearing?!"  
  
"Vernon?" Aunt Petunia turned to her husband, startled at the angry look on his face. "Oh NO! He's not one of those-?"  
  
"The boy just doesn't know when to quit!" Uncle Vernon exclaimed, a look of utter contempt coming over his purpling face. "But he will." He added under his breath so that Harry barely heard him. He frowned.  
  
Dudley, suddenly looked quite frightened as the realization of what was going on finally dawned on him, and so clung to Aunt Petunia as though his life depended on it--Which he probably thought to be the case. He looked, for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but the unpleasant memory of last summer made him keep his mouth shut. Apparently the boy wasn't taking any chances.  
  
"All right, Harry, ready to go?" Fudge looked a bit confused at the scene that was unfolding before him. He obviously hadn't expected the Dursleys to act like this. Like they'd never seen a wizard before in their lives--And after he'd gone out of his way to dress in muggle clothes for them.  
  
Harry nodded again, the frown on his face not even coming close to betraying how tense the situation was making him. He tried not to look at his uncle, the thought of what might happen upon his return all to bleak.  
  
Fudge reached into his pocket then and pulled out an old quill, extending it quickly to Harry who took hold of it with a sigh. The effect was immediate as he suddenly felt a familiar tug behind his navel. A frightened scream from his aunt filled the air as he and Fudge disappeared.  
  
***  
  
It wasn't until he was sitting alone in Fudge's office that Harry began to feel nervous about something other then what would happen when he got home. Namely what had brought the Minister of Magic himself to Privet Dr in the first place. Perhaps he was finally beginning to believe that Voldemort had come back. That had to be it. He probably wanted to question him about what happened after the Triwizard Tournament. As much as he didn't really want to discuss that with anyone, if he could actually get through to Fudge then it would definitely be worth it. It was the only way Voldemort would ever be beaten again. They couldn't do it if Fudge didn't learn to acknowledge what was going on.  
  
Harry cringed at the thought, something really terrible must have happened to have finally bring the Minister to his senses. Something awful. Perhaps whatever it was had something to do with the way his scar had been burning like that. Harry sighed in relief, now he wouldn't have to worry about owling Dumbledore. If Fudge really did know about it all, then he could just tell him, it wouldn't be long after that before Dumbledore found out too. At least one good thing seemed to be coming out of Fudges untimely visit. If Harry was going be in as much trouble as he thought he was then he was glad to know that it would at least help bring Voldemort down.  
  
Of course that look on Uncle Vernon's face had been murderous when they left, maybe he *shouldn't* go back there. Maybe he could persuade Fudge to let him spend the rest of the summer with the Weasely's at the Burrow. Harry couldn't think of a better way for him to spend the summer! It would definitely beat staying with the Dursleys, especially with Uncle Vernon on the war path again. Fudge would let him go, he'd have to. He'd seen the look on his uncle's face before they'd left, there was simply no way that even he'd send Harry back to that!  
  
It was then that Harry heard the soft hoot of an owl coming from behind Fudge's desk, and he turned to look in the direction of the noise. The desk was somewhat of a mess, several quill's and pieces of parchment cluttering it's surface. An open bottle of ink was balancing dangerously on a large pile of papers. For an office that was quite on the large side, it sure was a mess! But then again, with everything that was going on right now, and all the trouble the minisrty'd had lately, he supposed that a bit of disorganization was to be expected.   
  
And then the sound again...  
  
Harry's brows wrinkled in confusion and he climbed cautiously to his feet. He didn't really want, or need, to be caught wandering around Fudges office--it was bad enough being caught like that in Dumbledore's, and Fudge was a lot less understanding--but he simply couldn't stay seated. Something about that sound had been...familiar, and he wanted to see where it was coming from. Harry could have smacked himself for being so stupid, of course it was familiar, it was an owl! How thick could he possibly be? But still...  
  
He simply couldn't restrain himself from walking over to Fudge's desk, careful not to bump anything in the cluttered office on his way. When he got there he found the owner of the sound gazing up at him from a tiny cage on the floor--And his mouth quickly fell open in surprise.  
  
"Hedwig?!" The boy exclaimed, staring down in bewilderment at his own snowy owl. "But if your here..."  
  
Harry trailed nervously, spinning around as the door behind slowly swung open. Fudge entered then, a slightly crumpled piece of parchment clutched in his hand.   
  
"Harry, what are you doing over there by my desk?" Fudge asked, a tinge of annoyance in the back of his tone.   
  
"What is Hedwig doing over here by your desk?" Harry demanded, fear in confusion making themselves quickly evident in his voice.   
  
"Well, Harry, that's what I brought you here to talk about." Fudge told the boy, stepping the rest of the way into his office. The door slid closed behind him. Harry's heart sank. "You see we intercepted this, not far from Diagon Alley." He explained holding out the battered parchment in his hand so that the boy could see it.   
  
But even as his eye's scanned the page he didn't appear to fully comprehend what was going on, the all to familiar scrawl seemed so distant and strange. So strange in fact that the next thing that Fudge said was still quite an unpleasant surprise. "How long has this been going on, Harry?" The man asked, gazing down at the bewildered boy with inquiring eye's. "How long have you been in contact with Sirius Black?"  
  
The question hit him so hard that he nearly fell over. He'd suddenly grown terribly dizzy, his thoughts were spinning out of control. But it wasn't until that moment that his vision cleared and the distant words before him morphed into something more legible. It was the owl he'd sent with Hedwig just last night--And it was addressed to Sirius!  
  
Harry paled. What had he done...?  
  
~~~  
  
A/N: Yeah, I didn't like this one much. The next one should be better...I think. I did a bad job with Fudge, but, I dunno, I tried. Well, I hope it wasn't too bad! Anyway though, thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! I didn't expect to get so many, so it was a really nice surprise for me :) I've noticed that a lot of other authors are replying to their reviews lately, and I know that I always enjoy reading them so I'm gonna give it a try. I used to trying emailing people, but this is waaaaayyy easier! So thanks to everyone whose reading this and especially to all the wonderful people who actually reviewed. You rock!!  
  
~~~  
  
bobbi: Yay! My first review :) I'm glad you liked it. Really JK-ish? Wow, that's one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten! Thank you!!  
  
Stonehenge: Yeah, I was getting kinda sick of reading stories where Vernon just started beating on Harry because he was there. I'm glad you liked Harry's reaction, I thought that it would probably be more in character for him to fight back, I'm really happy that you thought so too!   
  
Dark Whispers: I care what you think!! I love hearing what the readers think! Hopefully I wont give up on this, I enjoy writing it. So far I've only hit a little patch of writers block, but I think I'm gonna be OK. Thanx for the review!  
  
Camel Socks: Really? You could actually see it? ALL RIGHT!! Detail's kinda hard for me sometimes, so I really appreciate your input!   
  
Moonlight: Well, I didn't get this up very quickly did I? Sorry...Argh! I'm slacking already! Glad it didn't suck though, that makes me feel better at least. Thank you!  
  
Joey: Thank you! I'm glad it was OK!  
  
Elizabeth Bathory: I'll try to keep the chapters longer, but some of them...well...aren't. Maybe after they're revised. I'm glad you liked this!  
Mystical Witch: Yikes, sorry I took so long! As far as Harry's rescue, well, I can't get into that now. It'll be discussed in the next chapter though. Thanx for reviewing!  
  
Storyspindler: Hey, I'm glad you liked it! And thank you so much for actually giving me some criticism! Any advice people can give me is much appreciated. I agree that Vernon did go a bit overboard there, it originally wasn't so bad, but then it didn't seem bad enough so...I dunno, I improvised a little and that's what came out. And as for Harry forgetting to owl Dumbledore, well when Harry was locked up he was thinking more about how to get away from the Dursleys than anything else, his scar wasn't really bothering him anymore by then. Plus, I kind of felt like making Harry a bit reckless and irrational sometimes so that he could beat himself up over it later. It just seemed like fun, so...  
  
JaiyAlex: Thanx for reviewing! Glad you like it!   
  
Sky Chief: Thank you! Yeah, Harry's scar never does seem to bother him in front of the Dursleys, I just figured that would be a bit more realistic. That and Harry's fighting back. I'm really glad that went over so well, I was little worried, even though it did seem more natural to me that way. Thanx for the advice too, I'll keep that in mind. scenes that have more action give me a lot of trouble sometimes, I usually try and get them done as fast as I can, so sometimes it doesn't flow so well. Any help I can get on anything is always great! Thanx again!!  
  
carolyn (fairyprncs88): Thank you! There's more to come!  
  
Someone: Thanx!   
  
evilraven: Glad you like it, and that my descriptions are OK :) Thank you!! 


	4. Cut and Run

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, surprising as it may seem. The lyrics at the beginning are offspring' s and hence, are also not mine.   
  
A/N: Err...Hello...Anyone there? Probably not...Umm, yeah, this fic kinda died for a couple of months there. So, to anyone who actually cares, I really am sorry! After school started I kinda went crazy for some reason that I'm still trying to figure out. But, in any case, I'm back and writing again, so, believe it or not, this fic WILL continue. Right now in fact, as I have every intention of shutting up and allowing you to read. And if you should want to leave a review at the end....;) *Ahem* See ya at the end!  
  
  
***  
  
The Edge of Forever  
  
Chapter Three: Cut and Run  
  
***  
  
  
~You can't take back, the one mistake that still lives on after life it takes~  
  
  
Harry's heart fell into his stomach. His was mouth slightly a gape and he was suddenly finding it quite difficult to breath. This couldn't be happening. It simply couldn't be happening! It took every ounce of his resolve to blink back the wide-eyed look of shock and horror now dominating his face--Schooling his features had never been harder. It was all he could do not to visibly panic.  
  
If what Fudge was saying was true, then Sirius was done for. Over. Harry had just sent his godfather a one way ticket back to Azkaban, and any hope either of them ever had of living a happy, simple life was gone forever. No, Harry shook his head very slightly, this could not be happening!  
  
But it was.  
  
"Out with it, Harry." Fudge said quite forcefully. "How long have you two been in contact?"  
  
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but it quickly fell shut. How was he supposed to answer *that*? He didn't want lie, not to the ministry, but the truth meant...the truth meant the end. The truth signed away everything he'd ever hoped for. The truth was something he simply could not give. Not to Fudge, not to anyone! He simply couldn't, wouldn't do that to Sirius. He'd already been through so much.  
  
Every time Harry thought about Sirius, his godfather, the only family he had, locked away in that awful prison...Trapped in a place that held criminals, Death Eaters, under the control of the dementors...He never could have survived that. And if Sirius went back there he knew he'd never see him again. Handing him over to the dementors was like signing a death warrant for the man, and Harry could never live with himself if he did such a thing. Not to Sirius.  
  
And so he just stood there, staring back at Fudge quietly, a look of determination burned plainly into his features. There was nothing he could say. Anything that came out of his mouth now would be a lie.  
  
When it had become apparent that he wasn't going to answer, Fudge gave an irritated sigh, and dropped his arms at his sides. The boy clearly wasn't going to make things easy for him. "C'mon, Harry. Stop playing dumb!" The minister demanded, standing over the boy, letter clutched tightly in his right hand. "How long, Potter? Do you know where he is?"  
  
Harry chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, as far as he knew Sirius was hiding out at Professor Lupin's right now. But if Fudge thought he was getting *that* out of him he needed some serious mental attention, because he would never hear such a thing from Harry. The thought of giving Sirius away was bad enough, he hardly needed to drag his old defense against the dark arts teacher into it all too.  
  
Fudge sighed again, running his free hand through his thick gray hair. "Harry, he's a murderer!" He reasoned. "We're only looking after your best interests, here."  
  
At that, Harry's eye's flashed dangerously, but the words that came out of his mouth then did nothing to betray his godfather. "He's not!" He said firmly, shaking his head in defiance. "He didn't do it! Your just trying to save your own neck! You don't really care about-"  
  
"Harry!" The minister exclaimed at the boy's words, the acknowledgment that briefly clouded his eye's being quickly replaced frustration. "That's no way to speak to-"  
  
"Then I wont speak to you at all!" Harry cut the man off, truly intending to remain silent this time.   
  
"Harry, I don't think you understand the importance of this situation." Fudge said, staring down at the boy as though he really didn't get it. Harry sighed and shook his head slowly. Did this man really think he was going to talk? "Lives could be at stake here. You don't want to be responsible for any deaths, do you?"  
  
Harry just gaped at the ministers words. He was seriously trying to guilt him into telling him where his godfather was. No deaths had been linked to Sirius since the day that he escaped, people had practically forgotten him by now. He was just about to point this out, despite his vow of silence, when they were interrupted by a rather sudden, and frantic knocking on the door just behind him.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" Fudge looked extremely irritated at the untimely interruption. Surely he had been just on the verge of getting an answer out of the distraught boy across from him.  
  
"There's been an attack, sir." Came the unfamiliar voice of a nervous sounding ministry aid.  
  
"An attack?" Fudge asked getting quickly to his feet. Harry noted with some frustration that the minister sounded more annoyed than he did upset.  
  
"I'm afraid so, sir. On the Keller's, luckily the children weren't at home the time." The aid explained.  
  
"Yes, that is lucky, isn't it?" Fudge said, and the aid nodded his agreement. "Still, this wont look very good for the ministry."  
  
"Lucky?" Harry asked, visibly bewildered by the way the minister was taking the situation. Fudge didn't appear to care at all for the family at hand. Some poor kids had just lost their parents and rather than worry about them he seemed to be working out how it would all affect him. But if either of them had noticed Harry's discomfort, they said nothing to acknowledge it.  
  
"Do we know who's behind it?" Fudge asked, making his way towards the door and effectively ignoring Harry.  
  
"No sir." The other replied. "Nothing definite."  
  
Harry just stared at them for a moment wondering if he'd heard correctly. A family had been attacked for no good reason and they didn't know who was behind it. How could they be so blind? "You know it was Voldemort." He said as though it were obvious, knowing that it should have been. Fudge glared down at him, disgusted by the boy's short outburst. The aid looked rather pale.   
  
"I'll ask you to stay out of this, Potter." Fudge's words left little room for argument, but Harry found that he couldn't just sit there quietly.   
  
"I'll ask you to come to your senses." He retorted bitterly. "Voldemort's behind the attack, he's been behind everything. Him and his damned Death eaters!"  
  
"You-Know-Who is dead. You of all people should know that."  
  
"Voldemort's alive. I SAW him. He tried to kill me!" Harry shouted, his tone laced heavily with an anger that Fudge's oblivious gaze effectively fueled. "I saw him." He repeated slowly.  
  
"You really have lost it." The minister said, shaking his head slowly and feigning pity.  
  
Harry's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He looked as though he was about to say something more, but the overly nervous aid--who, by the way, had been fidgeting madly just inside the door through out the short lived argument--beat him to it.  
  
"Sir, you really do need to be going." He said taking a deep breath as the minister turned his attention back to the situation at hand.  
  
"Right." Fudge said, decidedly annoyed that something had gotten in the way of his latest project. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, Potter." He said, over his shoulder. "I can promise you that." Harry wasn't the only one who looked a bit frightening just then. "Go on home for the night and calm down those muggles you live with. I'll send someone by early to collect you tomorrow."  
  
Harry almost smiled then, but stopped himself lest the oblivious man think that he was up to something. Quickly nodding his understanding, Harry followed him through the door, but stopped quite suddenly as he realized he'd forgotten something. "What about Hedwig?" He asked looking up at Fudge, barely able to calm the anger still present in his voice.   
  
"She'll stay here." He stated simply. "You can reclaim her when you come back tomorrow. Now go up front and ask about getting a portkey home."   
  
Harry looked like he was about to protest, but thought it better not to push his luck. Hedwig would be in good enough hands with the ministry, he only hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him when he didn't return. Because he had no intention of coming back the next morning. There was no way that he would ever let them question him about Sirius. No way in hell.  
  
***  
  
It had only begun to rain when Harry appeared on the front lawn of number four, the slick grass barely illuminated by the minimal amount of light shinning through the living room window. "So much for not wanting to attract attention..." He shook his head at the irony of it. If anyone on Privite Dr had been looking out of their window just then they'd have been in for an awful surprise. Aunt Petunia would be so embarrassed... A tiny smile played across Harry's face at the thought.  
  
But as he slowly approached the front door that smile rapidly faded into a worrisome frown upon remembering his uncle's dangerous promise just before he'd gone with Fudge. But he couldn't just stand out there all night, not if he wanted to help Sirius. He had to go in there some time. He had to go in there now...  
  
Taking a deep breath and dragging his feet as he went, Harry made his way to the closed front door. Might as well get it over with now. He turned the knob slowly, hoping not to make much noise. Perhaps if he was quiet, maybe if he was quick...Harry crossed his fingers as he stepped cautiously though the doorway. Maybe, just maybe, he could get in and out without being noticed. Harry closed the door very carefully behind him. If he could just stay quiet...  
  
Unfortunately the boy's hopes were dashed all to quickly, the soft sound of breathing evident just right of him. Harry turned his head slowly, cautiously in the direction of the noise, shying away slightly as he locked eye's with his uncle. Oh, this was not good...  
  
"What did I tell you boy," Uncle Vernon began, his voice deathly calm. "about letting YOUR freakish kind into MY house?"  
  
"But I didn't." Harry reminded him, staring back defiantly. "I wasn't even down here when you opened the door."  
  
"Are you suggesting that I'm the one at fault for that...man being here?" His uncle asked, glaring murderously into his nephew's emerald eye's.   
  
"No." Harry replied shortly, but his uncle only seemed to get angrier.  
  
"How could you let someone like that come to my house? Don't you have ANY regard for rules?! Scaring my poor Dudley like that, he's going have to have therapy someday because of you! You're nothing but a worthless freak! You could be out on the street right-"  
  
"I didn't break your damn rules, Uncle Vernon! I'm not the one who let him in!" The boy said defensively. He knew that his choice of wording and tone weren't the best, and that his uncle would surely throttle him if he continued, but Harry found that he no longer cared. All those years that he'd kept his mouth shut, kept his complaints to a minimum, stayed calm and reserved...All those years that he'd endured his relatives horrible treatment of him...It was all over now. He was leaving, and he wouldn't be coming back this time. They couldn't make him, no one could! Not anymore. The very thought was enough to make him reckless, he could say whatever he wanted now. He could do whatever he wanted! And right now he wanted to explain a few things to his uncle. "Your the one who opened that door, your the one who let Fudge in! I didn't do anything wrong, and I AM NOT A FREAK!"  
  
The result was instantaneous. Harry cried out softly as his uncle's fist connected cleanly with the side of his head, sending the hapless boy flying into the nearest wall. Unable to catch his balance, he crumbled on the spot, blinking in confusion from his place on the floor. His head throbbed from the blow and he was sure that there would be a nasty bruise on his cheek by the morning.  
  
"YOUR A FREAK IF I SAY YOUR A FREAK!" Uncle Vernon screamed down at the boy, purple faced and positively shaking in rage.  
  
Harry only glared for a moment as he regained his bearings. He wasn't really sure what had come over him just then, he just knew that it wasn't the brightest thing he could have done. Still, he cared little about his actions, he had much more important things to worry about right now. Far more pressing things to attend to. And so, standing up slowly, legs only a bit wobbly beneath him, Harry simply shook his head at the enraged man before him. "I'm not." He whispered simply, more conviction in those two words then anything he'd ever said to one of the Durselys. He'd already wasted to many years on his neglectful relatives, he wouldn't let them get to him now. "Your wrong."  
  
Uncle Vernon advanced on him again instantly, but skidded to a rather abrupt stop as Harry drew his wand. "Stay away from me!" His nephew exclaimed, holding it before him defensively. There was a dangerous gleam in his emerald eye's that Vernon had never seen before. For a moment the large man just stood there, staring down at the boy with a mix of fear and anger flashing in his eye's. But then a tiny smile crept over his lips, a thoughtful look quickly coming over his face.  
  
"Don't think that you can scare me, boy." His voice was calm again, eerily so. "You don't want to be expelled from your precious school now, do you?"  
  
Vernon hardly expected to see his nephew dawn a smile of his own at his words, and he certainly didn't expect the boy to say what he did then. "Frankly, Uncle Vernon, I don't really care anymore."  
  
His eye's flashed then with a brief but very distinct terror as Harry whispered "Stupefy!" It was strange, but oddly satisfying for the boy to watch his uncle crumble to the floor then. He wasn't sure whether he should be horrified by what he'd just done, or if he should be proud. Either way the tiny smile on his young face stayed with him as he sprinted up the stairs and into his room.  
  
It didn't take Harry very long to grab what he needed. He knew he couldn't take much, and when he left the small room it was only with his firebolt under one arm, his invisibility cloak under the other and a tiny sack of wizard gold he hadn't gotten around to spending last year in Hogsmeade. But the more he thought about it, wizard gold wasn't going to get him very far. By the morning the whole of the wizarding world would surely be aware of his disappearance, and if anyone saw him...  
  
Harry shook his head slowly, as though the simple action would make that thought go away. No one was going to see him, he decided as he reached the bottom of the stairs, because he wasn't going to give them the chance.   
  
"What did you do?!" Harry suddenly heard Aunt Petunia shriek. She was staring down at her husband white as a ghost, Dudley trying rather unsuccessfully to hide his gargantuan form behind her back. "Vernon wake up!" She looked quite afraid to approach his motionless form, as though whatever had taken the man down might be contagious.   
  
"Stay back." Harry warned his aunt, inching cautiously toward his stunned uncle. Bending carefully over the man, Harry retrieved his uncles wallet from his side pocket, reaching in and pulling out an uncertain amount of money before backing quickly away.  
  
"What do you think your doing?!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed frantically as her nephew fled towards the door. "You get back here! You can't just leave him like that!"  
  
Harry, choosing to ignore his aunt merely ran out the door and onto the street, shivering as he felt a few icy rain drops connecting with his flesh. It was time to surprise the neighbors again he mused sardonically as he threw his invisibility cloak over himself and mounted his broom. The boy didn't even take the time to glance over his shoulder as he took to the air. He never wanted to set eye's on number 4 Privet Dr again...  
  
  
A/N: Well, there it is. Hope it didn't suck as much as I'm beginning to think it did :) Well, hopefully if anyone actually read this they liked it. And hey, if ya did read it, thanx a lot! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated (!) as I'm pretty sure my writing quality went a little down hill in the middle there. Anyway, the next part wont take half a year, I promise. It'll probably be up sometime next week. So until then, see ya later! 


	5. False Identity

Disclaimer: I don't own it! I don't own it! Well, I guess I came up with a character or two, but that's about it. The Lyrics belong to 12 Stones.   
  
A/N: Hey, I'm updating this quicker than I thought this time :) I'm glad to see people are actually still reading this, I thought I killed it when I stopped updating before. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are the reason I got this part out already. Hope you like this one!  
  
***  
  
The Edge of Forever  
  
Part 4: False Identity  
  
***  
  
~Help me find the fracture in this dark sky~  
  
  
It was only a matter of hours before Harry realized how stupid he'd just been. What in the name of Merlin had he been thinking?! Using magic away from school, not only in front of, but ON a muggle! Uncle Vernon was right, he WAS going to get expelled. They'd take his wand and snap it in half and then where would he be? Not back with the Durselys, but still, the thought wasn't exactly comforting.  
  
And what would Sirius think of him then? Would he still care about him? Harry dismissed the question rather quickly, it wasn't a hard one. No, Sirius wouldn't desert him, he'd do something far worse than that--He'd blame himself. As much as he didn't want to believe that, Harry knew that it was the truth. Sirius already felt guilty for the death of his parents, for the way Harry had been forced to grow up, no doubt he would be just as bad about this. That was just the way that his godfather was.  
  
It was hard for Harry not to worry about what was to come. Would he really be kicked out of Hogwarts for defending himself? That's really all that he was doing, right? His uncle would've killed him if he hadn't stunned him then, wouldn't he? Well, maybe not have kill him, but still...Surely the ministry would understand that. Of course, that didn't mean that they would understand his running away to help a convicted murder. Perhaps that was what was going to get him kicked out.   
  
In any case, Harry was in trouble. It wasn't like he was just running from the Dursley's, if that were the case there was a number of places he could go, but this was completely different. This was much more complicated. Because this time he couldn't go to the Weasley's, and he couldn't go to Hogwarts. This time he wasn't only running from his loathsome relatives, this time he was running from the Ministry of Magic. This time there was no where to hide.   
  
And then there was Voldemort...  
  
Harry frowned. There was always Voldemort.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to wash the thoughts from his mind, and instead forcing his attention on the rain soaked ground below. He sighed. The weather had been anything but ideal for someone running away by broomstick. It reminded him horribly of that Quidditch game back in his third year, the only difference being a merciful lack of dementors. At least he could be thankful for THAT. He could barely stay on his broom as it was, the way the wind was blowing him about. He felt like a kite being flown by some hapless muggle child in the middle of a particularly violent hurricane. If there HAD been dementors he'd have fallen off long ago.  
  
As it was, the invisibility cloak had almost been lost on several occasions. First when Harry had nearly been thrown from his broom by an icy gust of wind that sent him spinning, and then again when the weather had died down a bit and he'd all but fallen asleep. The fact that it was the middle of the night and he could barely make out the front end of his broom wasn't helping matters much either.  
  
All and all, things were not going well.   
  
Harry shuddered slightly as a bolt of lightening flashed across the otherwise darkened sky. He was going to get himself killed if he stayed in the air much longer. And as if to punctuate this fact a load clap of thunder rumbled through the darkness around him that set the boy's ears ringing. He had to find a place to land.  
  
Problem was he didn't have any idea where he was at. The darkness was so thick and inky that Harry could have flown straight into any number of the things and not have known it until he found himself helplessly plummeting towards the ground below. What was down there anyway? The fact that he didn't have even the slightest clue was not a comforting thought. But then again, Harry hadn't exactly been one for comforting thoughts lately, had he?  
  
It was nearly another hour before Harry was able to make out the dimly glowing lights of a small muggle town below him. By that time he was nearly falling off his broom from exhaustion as well as the ill-timed storm. Lightening was still glinting dangerously ahead of him, thunder still booming dully in his ears. He had to land now, otherwise he wouldn't make it through the night, let alone be able to help Sirius.  
  
He hit the ground a bit off balance, barely able to stay standing as his feet slid against the slick pavement. Rain fell in thick icy sheets around him, and he had a time peeling the invisibility cloak off of his sopping body. He had to find some kind of shelter. Glancing cautiously around him, Harry began jogging down the dimly lit street on half asleep legs. His eye's darted in every direction, falling hopelessly on a line of tiny shops that had obviously been closed for the night. He would find no help there.   
  
He wasn't entirely sure how long it had been before his eye's landed on a battered old sign that simply read "Inn" but it hardly mattered to the boy as he ran up to the heavy wooden door. The hinges gave a slight creak as he pushed the entry open, and he heaved a tiny sigh as he stepped quickly through it.  
  
The lobby was small and ill-furnished, with only a few wooden chairs placed in each of the corners and a half dead plant just in front of counter.   
  
"Awfully late a kid to be running around out there, don't you think?" Came a slightly raspy voice just in front of him. Harry gazed up at the voices owner, a gangly sort of man, probably in his thirties, with short blond hair and inquiring brown eye's.   
  
"I need a room." Harry said, ignoring the man's question as he stepped up to counter. "How much for one night?"  
  
The blond man stared down at him curiously as the boy dug around in his overly large pocket and pulled out some rumpled money. Was that a broomstick he had with him? He raised an eyebrow. "You by yourself, kid?"   
  
Harry looked up at him, an indescribable panic rising in his brilliant green eye's. "Why?" He asked cautiously.  
  
"Well, you can't rent a room if your under eighteen." He explained simply.   
  
"You can't?" Harry frowned at the man, brow furrowing in confusion. If he couldn't get a room, what was he supposed to do? He couldn't keep flying, and there was no where else that he could stay. If this had been a wizarding village he'd have gotten a room easily, he never considered the differences in the way muggles ran things. After knowing that he was a wizard for the past four years he'd come to take it all for granted.   
  
"No." The man shook his head. And then after seeing how the boy's face fell at his words added, "Sorry, kid, but that's the rules."  
  
"Couldn't you make an exception?" Harry stammered desperately. "I don't have anywhere else to go, and with the storm and all...I can pay if that's what your worried about."   
  
"I have no doubt that you can pay." He said, again turning his gaze to the small stack of money in the boy's hand. "But I can't make any exceptions, I don't have authorization to-"  
  
"But it's only for one night!"   
  
"I'm sorry, kid." The man frowned back at the boy with a mixture of annoyance and sympathy. He certainly didn't want to send the poor kid back out into that storm, but rules were rules. There were no exceptions, not if he wanted to keep his job. But the kid looked so bewildered, he really wished that he could do something for him. He sighed. There was nothing he could do to help him, but that didn't mean he couldn't send him to someone who could. "Look, there's a small bed and breakfast a few blocks down on the corner, why don't you try there."  
  
"If you wont let me stay, what makes you think that they will?" Harry inquired suspiciously.  
  
The man shrugged. "It's owned by an elderly couple, I know the old women and I doubt she'd have the heart to send you away." He explained.   
  
"And it's just down the street?" The boy asked a bit more hopeful.  
  
"A few blocks that way." The man replied, thumbing to his left. "Just tell them Mr. Linder sent you."   
  
Harry nodded, turning away from the man, Mr. Linder, and stuffing his money back into his pocket as he opened the door. Shivering as he headed back into the storm, Harry looked down the street he'd been told follow. He could barely make out a large white building, that looked like a house, about three blocks down. This time he ran, rather than jogged, and was there, standing at the large oak door, in no time, thankful for the roofed porch that was shielding him from the nasty weather.  
  
Thinking quickly, Harry ran to the edge of the porch and wrapped his broom in the invisibility cloak before depositing them safely in a large clump of bushes. After the strange looks he'd received from Mr. Linder regarding the items he didn't want to raise anyone's suspicions. He was back at the door in record time.  
  
"Hello?" The boy called, banging on the large entry. If he hadn't been so tired, and the storm wasn't so ruff, he would have felt sorry for pounding on a stranger's door and screaming in the middle of the night. But he was exhausted, and the weather wasn't letting up at all, and so it was easy for Harry to forget his tact just then. "Hello? Is anyone awake? Hello?!"  
  
A dimmed light went on up stairs then, and soon there was light flooding the porch from the nearby windows. The door swung open so fast that Harry gasped in surprise as it revealed a tall muscular man with a scowl on his face--Obviously he did not appreciate being woken up. Harry nearly tripped as he backed away from him.   
  
"What the hell do you think your doing? Banging around out here in the middle of the night!" He raised his massive fist to the boy, throwing open the screen door angrily. Harry didn't know what to think, that man looked about ready to kill him, and he was quickly reminded of Uncle Vernon. "Why, I oughta..."  
  
"I...I'm sorry, I..." The boy stuttered, staring up at the angry man before him. He was just about to make a run for it when another voice came into play.   
  
"Russell, what do you think your doing down there? Is someone at the door?"   
  
"This kid was down here making a ruckus, Mum. Woke me out of a sound sleep!" Russell told her as she came down the stairs. Harry sighed in relief as the man backed slowly away. His form was replaced then by that of an elderly women in a long flowered night gown and a cotton bath robe.   
  
"Well, what were you trying to do? Scare the poor boy to death?" She asked when she caught a glimpse of Harry at the edge of the porch. She smiled at him weakly and motioned him forward. "C'mon now, lets get you in out of that awful weather. Don't let my son scare you, he's such a brute some times." Russell grunted at his mother's statement, but said nothing.  
  
Harry inched foreword slowly, a bit apprehensive of the large man still glowering down at him from inside. "Thanks." He muttered a bit shyly as he stepped over the threshold and into the house.   
  
The old women smiled at him as she closed the door, the sound of the ragging storm muffled considerably by the action. "My goodness, look at you! What on earth were you doing out in that?" She asked concerned. "And at this hour, are you all right?"  
  
"Fine." He nodded. "I...err...needed a place to stay. I went to the inn, but Mr. Linder told me to come here."  
  
"Probably didn't want any loud mouth kids running around." Russell said glaring. "Good of him to dump you on us."  
  
"Oh, Russell, will you stop that! Go back to bed, your so cranky when you haven't slept." His mother told him, waving her arm in the direction of the stairs.  
  
"Fine." Russell said shortly, turning to leave. "Wouldn't BE awake if it weren't for that kid." He muttered as he climbed the stairs.   
  
The old women sighed, turning back to Harry, who was glancing around nervously. "Sorry about him, he's like that sometimes." She said shaking her head. "I'm Betty Lawson, what's your name?"  
  
"I'm H..." Harry trailed off then, thinking. He wasn't sure he should be using his real name right now. He did know why, but something told him it wasn't a good idea. "Ron." He said the first name that came to mind. "Ron Weasley."  
  
"Well, Ron, it's good to have you here." Mrs. Lawson said with a sincere smile. "We don't get many visitors here with the inn so close, and we never see anyone your age."  
  
"Really?" Harry asked distractedly, still taking in the room around him. It really was a beautiful house, with a great staircase just inside the door and the rooms he could see decorated with old-fashioned furniture and some very large elaborate paintings.   
  
"Yes, really. We only have one other person staying here right now besides Russell, Edward and I--Edward is my husband by the way--and he's more of a boarder then anything. Ralph's been here for the better part of a year now." She respond warmly. Harry couldn't believe that she really wanted to have a conversation with him right now, it *was* the middle of the night after all. Mrs. Lawson seemed nice enough, but right now he didn't really feel like talking, he just wanted to get some rest. "So, how long do you think you'll be staying?"  
  
"Oh, not long." Harry replied, barely surprising a yawn. "Probably just the night."  
  
"Is that all?" She asked, sounding a bit disappointed. "Well, that's too bad, you seem like a very pleasant young man."  
  
Pleasant young man, she hardly knew him! After the feelings her son had openly expressed about him it was odd to hear her speak so fondly. She'd only met him a few minutes ago, having been woken up in the middle of the night by some strange kid pounding the door down and she was acting like she was his grandmother or something. How could she be so trusting?   
  
"Er...how much do you want for the night?" He asked a bit awkwardly as she hadn't yet brought up the subject.  
  
"Oh, don't you worry about that. The night's half over as it is, I just need you to sign the guest list and then I'll show you to your room." Mrs. Lawson told him, opening a drawer on a nearby desk, pulling out a very old book and flipping to the last page with writing on it. "Here you are." She said, holding the book out to him, and handing him a pen. "Just sign on the first empty line."  
  
Harry forced a tiny smile as he took the pen and began signing his name. He'd just put down an H when he stopped himself. Harry Potter was not the boy staying there that night, he reminded himself quickly. Harry quickly converted the H to an R and scribbled down the name of his best friend. "All right?" He said, glancing up at the old women.  
  
"Thank you, Ron." She nodded, closing the book and putting it away. "We like to keep a record of our guests, as we don't have very many. This place used to be packed before that inn was built, but now our guests are few and far between. This is just our way to remember them all."   
  
Harry nodded back. "Oh yeah?" He said, unable to stifle the next yawn that came out of his mouth.  
  
"You must be exhausted!" Mrs. Lawson suddenly exclaimed, the smile on her kind face quickly disappearing. "And here I am, talking your ear off. I'm sorry, I'll take you to your room now."  
  
And with that she took the boy's arm and lead him up the large staircase. "You poor boy, your soaked to the bone. I'll go and get you some dry things from Russell's room. His clothes'll be a bit big on you I'm sure, but you seem to wear your clothes that way, don't you?"  
  
"Oh, no, don't worry about it." Harry told her quickly, he did really want to see Russell's reaction to it in the morning. "I'm fine, really."  
  
"Your soaked!" She said remind him unrelentingly. "You'll catch a cold in those old things. It's a wonder you haven't already! Here, you can have the room next to Ralph's."   
  
"OK." He couldn't think of anything else to say as she opened the door for him.   
  
"I'll be right back in a moment with some dry clothes." She informed him, turning back down the hall. Harry looked around the room, surprised to see that it was larger than his aunt and uncle's. It was decorated in varying shades of blue, and contained a dresser, a small table with some comfortable looking chairs, and a large four poster bed. He was just trying out one of the chair's when Mrs. Lawson returned with a small pile of clothes for him.   
  
"Here you are, there's something for you to sleep in and another outfit for tomorrow. I hope they're all right."  
  
"They'll be fine, Mrs. Lawson." Harry said, forcing another smile. "Thank you, but you really didn't have to-"  
  
"Don't be silly, I would never leave a guest with only those wet things!" She told him firmly. "Now get some sleep, breakfast will be waiting when you get up." And with that she was gone, leaving Harry to himself for the rest of the night. He was barely able to peel off his wet clothes and change into one of Russell's large shirts before climbing under the waiting covers. Harry was asleep before his head hit the pillow.  
  
  
A/N: Ack! Original characters! Someone stop me now!! *Sighs* Oh well, they wont be there long at least. All things considered, I'm kinda pleased with this chapter. It was sorta fun. Hope everyone liked it! Feel free to rip it apart if you review. Thanx for reading!  
  
  
Dark Blood AKA hermionegranger, SailorGurl, A.Dee, Hermione Potter, and amazing typo: Thank you all for reading this part! I really appreciate it and am very glad to know that you're enjoying it!!  
  
ego: Thanks a lot for reviewing! I kind of agree that Vernon wouldn't get quite so violent with Harry, but I needed him to be really upset over it. I know that actual abuse isn't in the books, but sometimes it seems to be implied (Not at that level though of course. I just think he's gotten hit a couple times). It's an issue that I think is left up to the reader to decide though, which is why HP abuse stories are relatively common. Well, in any case, thanks for the gracious review! I'm always happy to hear other's opinions :)  
  
MS. Issues: Sorry for the lack of updates! Thanx for sticking with it though, and thank you for the review!!  
  
Saya-Sato: It's not too cliched? Good, cause I was a little worried about that. The abuse is really just there to set things up, but whatever. Thanx for reviewing!!!  
  
carolyn: Hey, glad to see that your still reading this! I didn't think I'd have any return readers after I disappeared for so long! Thanx a lot! I'm glad you still like it!  
  
Lady Game: Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, random abuse, I know. I tried to give a bit of substance, but after reading over it, it really does seem a bit random...Oh well, it sets up the story, that's all it's there for. Thanx for your impute!! 


	6. Falling Apart Again

Disclaimer: I own EVERYTHING!!! No, actually, that's a lie....Lifehouse lyrics and err...well, that's about it...  
  
A/N: Wow, I got a lot of reviews for that last one...Thanx people! I really appreciate it! Well, anyway, here's chapter five. Sorry for the delay! Please r/r.  
  
  
***  
  
The Edge of Forever  
  
Chapter Five: Falling Apart Again  
  
***  
  
  
~Have you ever felt like your secrets give you away~  
  
  
Harry came awake with a yawn, brining his hands up to rub his eye's only to find them connecting roughly with hard plastic. He sighed. Falling asleep with his glasses on was not something he liked doing, but he'd been so exhausted last night. Harry blinked several times, taking in the room around him. It took him a minute to realize where he was and why, but when he did he glanced at the clock beside him and nearly toppled out of bed.  
  
"Twelve thirty!?" He exclaimed, throwing the covers back and his feet over the bed all in one collective motion. He'd wanted to be gone by now. He still had a ways to go and really didn't want to have to fly through the night again. Biting back a bitter sigh, Harry slumped out of bed a drew Russell's clothes (A pair of too-long jeans and a large gray tee shirt) on slowly, his annoyance at getting up so late that morning making the boy sluggish rather than rushed.  
  
Harry watched his dragging feet as he headed out of his room and down the large staircase. The sooner he was out of there the better, but he didn't want to leave without at least saying good-bye to Mrs. Lawson. Judging by her performance last night she was going to be very sorry to see him leave, and Harry didn't want to be rude about the whole thing after she'd been so nice. He was just outside the kitchen door when he heard Russell's voice coming from the room. He didn't seem any less 'grumpy' then he did the night before and Harry suddenly didn't want to enter the room at all.  
  
"You didn't even make him pay?" Russell's astonished voice picked up some volume as he asked the question. "Mum, you don't know anything about this kid! He probably a thief. And I think he's in some sort of a gang or something. Did you see that bruise on his face? Probably hiding out from the lot!"  
  
"Russell, will you calm down for a moment?" Mrs. Lawson exclaimed exasperated. "Ron happens to be a very nice boy. He's quite polite and humble, you could learn a thing or two from him."  
  
"Yeah, like how to rob us blind!"  
  
"He would never do a thing like that." Mrs. Lawson insisted.   
  
Russell gave sigh which sounded more like an ironic laugh. "How do you know that?" He asked, his voice much calmer now. Harry thought that he all most sounded kind of concerned. "God, mum, you always do things like this, you're too damn trusting."  
  
"You could learn to be a little more trusting, Russell." She told her son softly, so that Harry almost couldn't hear.  
  
"One of these days you're gonna be wrong, you know?" He said, ignoring his mother's sincere statement. "One of these days you're gonna get hurt. I swear, if that kid isn't who he says he is...if he does something to hurt you..."   
  
The conversation broke off then and Harry blanched as he realized Russell was walking towards the kitchen door. Nearly tripping over his dragging pants Harry turned and ran to the other end of the hall and up a few stairs, turning around just as the door he'd been standing at burst open. Russell stalked out of it, wearing a rather blatant scowl and shaking his head. When he saw Harry on the stairs he stopped and glared up at him.  
  
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence." The man said coldly, cool blue eye's boring into the boy.  
  
"I...er...slept a bit longer than I meant to." Harry said uncomfortably. He felt more than a bit awkward under Russell's hard stare.   
  
"Obviously." Russell grumbled, scoffing slightly as he passed Harry on the stairs, arms crossed stiffly over his broad chest.  
  
Harry watched cautiously as he disappeared upstairs before making his way to the kitchen door for the second time that morning. When he pushed it open he saw Mrs. Lawson sitting at a small table, resting her head in her hands. There was a thoughtful look upon her face, she was obviously going over her son's unpleasant words in her head.  
  
"Mrs. Lawson?" Harry said carefully, feeling a bit guilty the argument she'd just had with her son.   
  
"Oh, good morning, Ron." She said when she stirred, glancing up at him and giving him an obviously sincere smile despite her troubling thoughts. "Did you sleep all right, dear?"   
  
Harry nodded, returning her smile with a tiny one of his own. "Yeah, I was fine." He told her. "Thank you for having me, but I really do need to be going now."  
  
"So soon?" The disappointed tone her voice had taken on last night came back with a vengeance, and Harry's brief smile quickly vanished. "I thought you'd at least stay the rest of the day."  
  
"I'm sorry." He said, looking away to avoid her stare.  
  
"Don't apologize, hun, you haven't done anything wrong." She said in a strange tone of voice, that held an interesting mixture of sternness and kindness. "Where are you off to, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
"I...err..." Harry bit down on his lower lip, brows furrowing in confusion. As a matter of fact he did mind her asking, but he couldn't tell her that! "I'm visiting my godfather." He said honestly, glad that truth didn't really sound that suspicious.  
  
"Really? Well, that's nice." She said, and Harry could tell she was going to start into another lengthy conversation if he didn't stop her soon.  
  
"Yeah, but I have to get going." He said, taking a step back. "It was really nice meeting you. Thank you for-"  
  
"Don't think I'm going to let you out of here without putting something in your stomach." She cut him off quickly, getting to her feet.  
  
"No really, it's OK." Harry said desperately. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"You look half starved!" Mrs. Lawson shook her head as she gazed down at him. "No, I'm not letting you out of here before you eat something. You've already missed breakfast, but I'll have lunch on the table in a half an hour. You can go right after you eat."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"No buts, Ron. My guests don't go hungry." She told him firmly, but smiling all the while. "Why don't you go watch some television to pass the time. That old set could stand to be used once and awhile. Go on then, I have to get lunch ready."  
  
Harry sighed as he was ushered out of the room. He liked Mrs. Lawson, he really did, but he had a feeling that if he didn't get out of there soon she'd never let him go. He made his way slowly into the living room anyway, finding the sun lit room completely deserted. He didn't really care for watching TV anymore, but there really wasn't much else to do. Might as well humor her a bit.   
  
Sinking comfortably into an overly large arm chair, Harry turned on the television and began flipping through the channels carelessly. Nothing was really grabbing his attention, so he settled for a popular soap opera that Aunt Petunia liked to watch. He'd often caught glimpses of it while cleaning up the house, and though he wasn't exactly a fan he at least knew a bit of what was going on.   
  
The storyline was just picking up when the show was cut off abruptly by what called itself a "Very important news brief." Harry almost laughed for a moment as the it came onto the screen. He could all most hear his aunt screaming at the television, frustrated that her show had been interrupted. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.  
  
But, as usual, Harry's happiness was short lived, for the grin on his face disappeared immediately at the mention of his godfathers name.  
  
"...convicted murder Sirius Black has been at large nearly two years now, but police, it seems, are finally closing in on him. There is evidence that a boy named Harry Potter, Black's teenage godson, has been in contact with the man and may well know of his whereabouts. Unfortunately Potter's gone missing as well. Whether Black has kidnapped the boy, or he went of his own free will has yet to be determined, as his relatives were said to be very disoriented when police came to question them. Potter was last scene wearing a large, faded red tee shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. He stands about five foot four, has black hair, green eye's and a thin scar on his forehead that resembles a bolt of lightening. If anyone has any information on where the boy might be, or if he's OK, please contact police immediately. Here's a recent picture of Harry, and one of Black as well for those of you who..."  
  
Harry's stomach constricted painfully and he jumped out of the chair as he listened to the report, oddly transfixed by each terrible word. Each terrible, horrible, incriminating word. And then, just as suddenly as they began, the sentence trailed off and the words were replaced by something far worse. His eye's went wide with horror as his own face filled the screen. This was it, he told himself sardonically. This was the end...  
  
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, believe what he was seeing. Was that really him they were talking about? But this was the muggle news, why would they put him on the muggle news? Was Fudge really that desperate to get information on Sirius? Harry shuddered to think about the publicity this would all be getting in the wizarding world.   
  
In any case, he had to get out of there. He had to get out of there now! If anyone recognized him...He'd be done for. Sirius would be done for. They'd force him to tell them everything, and then even Professor Lupin and Dumbledore would find themselves in a bind. This couldn't be happening, it simply wasn't fair! All he'd wanted was to get away from the Dursleys, how could he have let things get so out of hand like this? If only he hadn't sent Sirius that damned owl! He had to get out of there.  
  
"Watching something good there?" An unfamiliar voice came from behind him, and Harry froze, barely able to thumb the power button on the remote. "You hear me kid?" The voice came again when he didn't speak or turn around.  
  
"No." Was all he could get out at first, turning around slowly to face a short middle-aged man with balding brown hair. "Nothing special."  
  
"Mind if I watch a bit?" The man asked, taking a step closer and leaning against the chair Harry'd just been occupying. "My name's Ralph, by the way. You must be that Ron kid Russell was mumbling about."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah." He said, sounding more than a bit to nervous. "That's me."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Ralph said, extending his hand. Harry shook it cautiously. "But if your not watching anything, would you mind? There's a show I like to watch coming on in a few minutes."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Here." Was all that the boy said, slowly handing Ralph the remote and crossing his fingers behind his back as the man turned on the television. Harry gave a great sigh of relief when it turned on and he was greeted by the credits to the soap opera he'd been watching. The news bulletin was over, he still had some hope. "Well, good-bye."  
  
"See ya, kid." Ralph replied, not looking up.  
  
Harry gave a very forced smile as he turned and ran out of the room. He was up the stairs and back in his room faster then he thought possible, making a mad grab for his sack of gold. He had to get out of there. He had to get out of there now.   
  
But when he reached the stairs again, he stopped dead in his tracks at the foreboding sound of Russell's voice at the bottom of the steps. Harry stepped back into the shadows of the hallway to avoid being seen.  
  
"I told you, mum. I TOLD you!" Russell exclaimed, staring down at a very confused looking Mrs. Lawson. "That kid's been lying from the moment he stepped in that door. He's in cahoots with that escaped murder Sirius Black. We're lucky to still be alive!"  
  
"Russell, I know you don't like the boy much, but that's quite an accusation." Mrs. Lawson replied incredulously. "Ron just doesn't strike me as the type-"  
  
"His name's Harry, mum, I've already told you." Her son cut her off, sounding quite frustrated. "Harry Potter."  
  
"All right, Harry then. He still doesn't seem like he's-"  
  
"Oh, I can't take this anymore!" Russell cut her off again. "You'd defend that boy if he tried to murder you right now. Well, I'm not gonna let that happen, I've already called the police. They'll be here any minute."  
  
Harry's breath caught abruptly in his throat, his heart beating wildly. "No." He whispered to himself, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. He'd been caught and Russell had called the police. They'd be here any minute. And with them would come Fudge, and then Harry would be forced to tell them everything. EVERYTHING! This couldn't be happening. Not when he was this close. Not when his godfather's life was on the line!   
  
He'd never be able to live with himself if Sirius was caught, and especially under such circumstances. If Sirius was caught it would be all his fault. If he'd only been rational the other day, if only he hadn't sent that owl. But he had been reckless, and he'd practically signed his godfather's death sentence. How could he have been so stupid?!  
  
But did all that really matter now? Did anything other than getting away? He had to stop being so damn pessimistic! Maybe he could still get away. Perhaps if he was quiet...  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry came out of his shadowed sanctuary and crept slowly, quietly down the stairs. He was nearly out when he realized he'd forgotten something very important. 'My wand!' Harry stopped dead in his tracks, he'd left his wand in the still damp pocket of his old jeans. Turning around hurriedly, mentally cursing himself all the way, Harry flew back up the stairs and into his room. His pants were just were he'd left them, hanging up in the bathroom to dry. Reaching in and pulling out the contents of his pocket, Harry tore from the room, back down the stairs and to the door. If he could just get out that door without anyone noticing.  
  
A tiny smile appeared on his face as he reached for the knob, turning it slowly in his firm grip. He was going to be okay. Freedom was just out side that door, all he had to do was open it. Everything was going to be all right.   
  
Or not.  
  
Harry gasped then, emerald eye's wide with a mix of bewilderment and horror. "There he is!" Russell was saying, pointing at him from the end of the porch where he stood flanked by two anxious looking muggle police officers. "That's him, Harry Potter!"  
  
His heart sank. That was it. And any plans he'd had of escaping faded faster than the wan smile on his face...   
  
A/N: OK, another chapter down! Hope everyone liked it!! Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! You guys are great!! Wow, that's a lot of exclamation points... ;)  
  
  
Starlette: Actually, I don't know anyone named Betty Lawson, lol, the name just seemed to fit her. Thanx for the review!!  
  
SweetPnut731: Hey, I'm glad you like it! And that the last chapter was ok ^_~ Thanx a lot!  
  
Marcela86: Thank you very much! Again, I'm definitely glad to hear that this isn't too cliched! Thanx!!  
Katie: OK, you caught me in a plot hole...Your right, Harry does seem to be wandering around aimlessly. He is going to Remus', but I guess I never actually mentioned that. Oops! Err...anyway though, Thanx for the review! And, yeah there'll be a lot of Sirius in the later chapters ^_^   
  
kateydidnt: Thank you!  
  
Lilas: Thanx! Don't you love it when that happens? :) I'm glad you like my Harry so much. I can't stand it when people make Harry out to be such a pushover, he's a lot stronger than that! Even when he's all depressed about tuff he bounces back from it relatively fast. I thinks it's just cause the 4th book ended so angstily (yeah that's not really a word...^_~;;). But anyway, yes Sirius will play a big role in the coming chapters. Dumbledore'll be there too, but his part wont be so be. And as for Hexing Fudge...^_^  
  
Lady Game: Yes! Criticism! Wow, yeah, my grammar/spelling sucks! I am working on it though. After reading your review I actually started reading PoA again (It's been a little while since I've read it myself) and the beginning of that really is kinda like this. Or rather this is kinda like it...Anyway, than you for your honesty! I really do appreciate it!!   
  
Dark Blood AKA hermionegranger: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  
  
Ms. Issues: Thanx for the review!  
  
  
A.Dee: Harry isn't think half the time in this fic, that's his problem :) Thanx!  
  
lee: lol, thanx :)  
  
Vanessa: Thank you!!  
  
Aeryn Alexander: I'm glad you like it! Thank you for reviewing!!  
  
Camel Socks: Yay! Another return reader! Glade you still like this! It's not more reviews that I need to keep this thing going though, it's an end to my everlasting writers block, lol. Arigato ^_^  
  
wonder: Wow, I really surprised you? That's great!! *Grins* Thanx for letting me know! It's little facts like that, that really get me excited about writing this! I really appreciate your review!! 


	7. The Same Old Fears

Disclaimer: I own nothing...  
  
A/N: Ugh! This took me awhile for some reason. And after leaving you with a cliffhanger! Sorry! Strangely enough part of the reasons I took so long was because I was writing chapter 8 of all things. I'm not even done with chapter 7! *Sighs* Oh well though. I don't know if anyone noticed or not, but I added a prologue to this fic, and I strongly suggest you go read it. It may seem sort of pointless, but it's really not, I swear!  
  
All right, I'll shut up now and let you read. I hope you like this chapter, though it's certainly not my favorite! Also, thanx again for all of the awesome reviews!   
  
  
***  
  
The Edge of Forever  
  
Part Six: The Same Old Fears  
  
***  
  
~Everything that I believe is slowly overtaking me~  
  
The stars were shinning brightly against the midnight sky. 'No clouds tonight.' Harry thought sardonically. Tonight he could have made it, but the one before...If only there hadn't been that damned storm! Tired as he'd been he could have flown through the night, he'd be there right now if the weather hadn't been so foul. He'd be safe, Sirius would be safe. Or as safe as they could be. But he wasn't with his godfather right now, and Harry was beginning to doubt that he ever would be again.   
  
Staring longingly at the night sky, his vision hindered only by the steel bars on the window, he couldn't stop the strong wave of hopelessness cascading over him. How could he have let himself be caught like that? How could he have let this happen? If he'd only left sooner, if he hadn't slept in, if he hadn't given in to Mrs. Lawson's demands that he eat something...All the what ifs were coming at him with a vengeance. If he'd only done one little thing different he might be okay now. He'd be safe with his godfather and professor Lupin, not locked away in some backwater muggle jail cell--The only cell in fact that the police station offered.  
  
Harry sighed, the frown on his bewildered face deepening yet further. It had all happened so fast, one minute he'd thought that he was home free and the next he was being taking into police custody for withholding evidence. Thus far he'd gotten through questioning without giving up any information on Sirius, but that would all change once Fudge showed up. He'd send Harry to hell and back if he thought that he could put Sirius Black back in Azkaban. Anything to further his flimsy reputation.  
  
Any minute now he'd show up, with a handful of ministry wizards and a bottle of veritaserum. Then there would be no escape. They'd know where Sirius was, they'd know Lupin and Dumbledore had helped him, they'd know that he and Hermione had been the ones that helped him escape at the end of third year. Who knew what he'd say under the influence of that stuff, there were so many little things that he could let slip. Harry shuddered to think of what they might ask him.  
  
There was no escape for him now, he didn't even have his wand. He'd hoped that they wouldn't think anything of it when they'd emptied his pockets, but that hadn't worked out for him either. They'd taken that and all his money without thinking twice, and shoved him into an empty cell to await further questioning. He'd waved his one phone call when it was offered. The only person he could think of that had a phone was Hermione, and she was on vacation. Even if she had been home he didn't think he'd call her, there was nothing she could have done for him now anyway and he really didn't want to drag her into all of this.  
  
Harry drew his knees up against his chest, hugging them close to his body. It really was hopeless now. He tried not to think of what would happen in the coming hours, but it was all too hard to block out. Pretty soon he'd be forced to tell them everything, to betray the closest thing he'd ever had to a parent. Would Sirius ever be able to forgive him? He'd warned him not to address owls to him directly, and not to send them with Hedwig. If he had only listened. Deep down he knew that Sirius wouldn't blame him, but his guilt would linger inside of him forever. It would eat away at him until there was nothing left.   
  
He'd have nothing, no one. He'd be worse off than he'd ever been before. Finding his godfather had been like a beacon of hope, a reminder, long overdue, that the world wasn't always so cruel. The feeling that had washed over him at the thought of finally having someone there for him was unlike anything he'd ever felt. It had undoubtedly been the happiest moment of his life, nothing that had ever happened to him before could have even come close to rivaling it. But now he was about to destroy it all. The only thing he had left to look forward to was about to be gone forever. Sirius was the only hope he had left, and now he was going to lose him too. He didn't think he could stand it.  
  
Another sigh escaped his lips then. When had he become so damn selfish? He had basically become the ruin of his godfathers life, and all he could think about was himself! Sirius was the one who's life was about to be destroyed. Sirius was the one about to lose everything. How could he feel so sorry for himself, when Sirius was the one who deserved it? What happened to him was insignificant, Sirius was all that mattered. Nothing else was even remotely important right now.  
  
He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there like that. Time, it seemed, had speed up considerably since his capture. Every minute had gone by like a second. The hours couldn't have faded more quickly. He couldn't even remember when the night had fallen, only that it had. It would only be a matter of time now. Any minute, any second, could bring with it the inevitable end that was awaiting him. Any moment...  
  
"Ron?"   
  
Harry's head snapped up as the familiar voice reached his ears. "Mrs. Lawson?" He exclaimed, gazing up at her with a mixture of hope and horror clouding his emerald eye's. "What are you doing here?"  
  
A small smile lit her face as she stared back at him and she looked as though she might actually laugh--About what though, Harry wasn't sure. "I was looking for you of course." She said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
Though her voice held not a hint of malice as she spoke, Harry couldn't help but wonder if she was upset with him. After what he'd done, how couldn't she be? "I...err..." He trailed off before getting a single sentence out. There was nothing he could say that would make things better right now. Russell was right, he'd been lying all along. What she must think of him now... He'd taken advantage of her kindness and generosity, and all he could do now was apologize for it. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lawson." He whispered softly, suddenly finding the hard concrete of the floor very interesting.  
  
"For what, dear?" Her smile remained, and Harry looked up a bit startled at her reaction.  
  
"For lying to you!" He replied, turning his eye's back to her in exasperation. "For not telling you who I am. Everything that Russell said is true, and I'm sorry."  
  
"Not everything." She said softly, smile never fading for a second. "You're not the malicious, scheming boy he made you out to be, your a nice young man and I-"  
  
"But I lied to you!" Harry said again, staring at the old women incredulously. "I lied about everything!"  
  
"You gave me a false name, that's all." Mrs. Lawson reminded him. And now that he thought of it, that really was the only lie he'd told. But still, wasn't that enough? "I guess I should really be calling you Harry now, shouldn't I?" She added, a tiny smile tugging at her thin lips.   
  
"I'm sorry." He said again, despite his sudden realization.  
  
"Don't be." She said in that stern but kind voice she always seemed to use. "Now, as you haven't eaten yet, I've packed you a bit of food to take with you, along with your other things."  
  
"You didn't have..." Harry began to reply before trailing off in confusion at her words. "Wait, what do you mean 'to take with me'?"  
  
Mrs. Lawson simply stared back at him for a moment, for some reason she seemed quite taken aback by his question. "You didn't actually think I'd leave you to wrought here in this miserable cell now did you?"  
  
"They're not keeping me here forever." He reminded her upon hearing her over dramatic response. "Just for a couple hours really, and then..."  
  
Harry was silent for a moment, eye's on the floor again as he thought about how that sentence would have ended. And then what? They'd take him away, question him and then leave him with no where to go. He'd have no home, no school, no wand, no Sirius...In short he'd have nothing, he'd be nothing. But as much as a part of him really wanted to talk about it all he couldn't possibly bring himself to burden Mrs. Lawson with that horrible truth. She'd only worry then and she didn't need that.  
  
"Well, in any case I'm not leaving you here." She said firmly, catching the boys attention. What in the name of Merlin could she possibly mean?  
  
"But how can you-"   
  
Her smile cut him off then as she reached into her pocket and pulled out something that made Harry's eye's go wide. Dangling there, from her long weathered fingers, was a dull old set of coper keys. Keys that looked remarkably like the ones that had locked the heavy door to his cell.   
  
"Are those..." He didn't understand, it was all way to simple. He just didn't have that kind of luck. "How?"  
  
"This is a small town, security's not what it should be." She replied simply--almost sadly--approaching the door.   
  
Harry couldn't believe what was happening. It wasn't all over yet. It was like the world that had been slowly crumbling around him for the past couple hours was suddenly being rebuilt. The hope he'd all but let die, was growing inside of him like it never had before. This wasn't the end, he still had a chance. He hardly dared to smile just yet though, least it all be some cruel dream.   
  
But then, as the door swung slowly open, and he stepped out of his prison, Harry couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't a dream, it couldn't be. 'Please, please don't let it be!' He might actually be able to set things right. He might still have a chance. Sirius, might still have a chance.  
  
"Now, here you are." She said, pushing a small bag into his hands before he even had a chance to speak. "That's your old clothes and some food. I got the things they confiscated from you, but all that was there was some money and this strange stick thing."  
  
"My wand!" Harry exclaimed, a tiny smile lighting his face for the first time in what seemed like forever.  
  
"Your what, dear?" Mrs. Lawson gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"My, err..." His smile faltered, had he really just said that out loud? Idiot! Harry bit down on his lip as he gazed back, he didn't want to lie to her again but he didn't have time to explain everything. Not that he really wanted to anyway. "Thank you Mrs. Lawson." He said, desperate to change the subject. "You really didn't have to go to so much trouble."  
  
"Of course I didn't have to, I wanted to." She told him, holding his gaze. "Now you have to get out of here, okay? There's a back door just down the hall, go out that way and get out of this town as fast as you can."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to say something else but stopped himself when Mrs. Lawson shook her head. "Just go." She urged him lightly. He smiled back briefly before rushing out of the room and down the said hallway.  
  
"Bye." He muttered quickly, stepping though the door, as Mrs. Lawson came into the hall. "Thank you."  
  
"Good-bye." She whispered back to him as he disappeared into the night. "Good luck."  
  
Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Harry tore away from the small police station. He'd left his firebolt back in that clump of bushes and he had to get back them before he went anywhere. It wasn't far, just a little bit farther than the inn had been, but he had to be careful. If he was seen...Harry dreaded to think of what would happen then. He really would be done for then, and all of Mrs. Lawson's efforts would have been in vain.  
  
Gasping for breathe, he reached the front yard, weary of the lights that were on inside. But he rushed in anyway, dashing towards the bushes with a speed born of desperation. He had to get out of there, he had to go now. Reaching in, Harry rummaged around, paying little attention to the branches tearing at his skin. It was several moments later when he finally felt the smooth liquid fabric of the invisibility cloak slip between his fingers.  
  
A tiny sigh of relief escaped his lips as he pulled it from the mass of branches hastily, along with his firebolt. He wasn't so worried anymore, everything was finally beginning to look like it would be all right. He had everything that he needed to get to his godfather. He'd been given a second chance, and nothing was going to stop him now. Not Fudge, not the police, not another storm threatening to blow him clear off his broom. Nothing!   
  
Draping the invisibility cloak over him and mounting his firebolt quickly, Harry pushed off the ground and into the beckoning sky. He was on his way.  
  
~~~  
  
A/N: I don't know if I really like this chapter. It's too...Simple I guess. Ugh! And it's short too! But I didn't want this situation to take over the story, if that makes sense. It was just another conflict on the way to the real story. I dunno, in my original version Harry got away without being physically caught at all, so I guess this is better...Oh well, I hope it wasn't as bad as I think it was. Thanx for reading this! And go read the prologue. It's kind of important, though it doesn't really appear to but. So, yeah...Read it!  
  
Smilies: I am horrible, aren't I? Sorry I took so long to update! Sirius will be around soon :)  
  
Saya-Sato: Glad you liked it! Thanx!  
  
wonder: Ack! Sorry about the cliffie, lol. Russell is rather a jerk, isn't he? Poor Harry, it's like he finally gets away from Fudge and he runs into this guy! Nothing ever goes right for him. Though I suppose if they did it wouldn't be so fun to write ^_^   
  
Lee Lee Potter: Sorry! Glad you liked it though! Thanx!  
  
sirius_the_homicidal_maniac: Wow, sorry! I seem to be saying that to everyone here...I spelled Woman wrong? Ack! Well that says a lot for my grammar...Thank you for reviewing!  
  
Lady Game: Thank you! Hmm...Perhaps my grammars a bit better? Or maybe you just didn't notice all of my unavoidable screw ups ^_^;; Er...Anyway, thanx again for reviewing!! As always, I really appreciate it!  
  
kateydidnt: You put this on your favs list? Wow, thanx!  
  
Starlette: Harry couldn't hide under the cloak cause it was hidden in the bushes...Wow, for some reason that sounds really stupid...Thanx for the review!  
  
A.Dee: lol, nervous? ^_~  
  
Tigerdrake: Really? It's original? Really? Thanx!!  
  
CokeFreak: Thanx! I glad you like it!  
  
Dark Blood AKA hermionegranger: Thank you!  
  
Arwena: Yeah, that would be nice. They could both use a break from their normal hectic lives! Thanx for the review!  
  
Camel Socks: Than you again! I'm actually coming out of the writers block a bit, it's very refreshing! So worry not, you will find out what happens next :) 


	8. Arrival

Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah, blah, blah... 

A/N: This one took me awhile, and sadly it's rather short. Sorry 'bout that! Nothing really seems to happen here...Well, it sorta does, but it's not much. I dunno, I hope you all like it. Sirius and Remus are finally there! At least that's one good thing. 

**

*** 

**

The Edge of Forever 

_Chapter Seven: Arrival_

*** 

~The smile wears thin and the lies begin to bring me down again~ 

Remus muffled a yawn as he climbed down the dark stairs, entering his humble kitchen the way he did every morning. Soft rays of sunlight were shinning through the tiny window over his sink so that the golden light gleamed brightly off the linoleum floor where he stood, illuminating his wolfish features. Despite the wan smile barely lighting his face, the weathered man did not appear especially happy on that fine morning. One could argue that he didn't seem to be in an overly melancholy state at the moment either, but those who knew him best would realize that this was how he appeared most every morning. Always the picture of composure--Remus was not the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve. 

This morning however he truly wasn't in the worst of spirits. Though still a bit weary from the full moon earlier that week, he couldn't find much to complain about. It had been several weeks since Sirius had come to stay with him, hiding out in the most likely--and over looked--of places. There had been a time, short as it was, when Remus had thought that his friend's presence in his home would surely complicate matters more, but now he was glad for the other man's company. 

Of course, it would be nice if his friend could do...anything for himself. Sirius had never been much of a home maker and it was all Remus could do to keep his small house in order. How Sirius had managed to survive those two years on his own he would never understand, because Remus couldn't begin to imagine the other even cooking himself a simple meal. The idea of him taking care of Harry was almost laughable, surely it would work better the other way around. 

The tiny smile residing on the man's face became a bit more sincere at the thought of his former student and his best friend. That was the way it was supposed to be, they were supposed to be together. Sirius talked about little else. His friend had big plans for the day his name was cleared, the day that he could finally take his rightful place as Harry's guardian. But sometimes it all seemed so far away to Remus, and listening to Sirius go on about the future made him more thoughtful than he would have liked. 

It was all such a mystery at this point, and trying to predict the future under such conditions could only bring with it disappointment. And Sirius certainly didn't need any more disappointment in his life right now. None of them did. Not with the rebirth of Voldemort lurking over everyone's heads, and the ever-constant fear of Sirius being caught. 

Still, his friend's presence had definitely been good for him. With Sirius there he was able to think of more pleasant things, he could reminisce without the pain of what had become of his friends. His humble little home became a more warm and friendly environment, where it had once been an unyielding sanctuary for loneliness. Yes, having his friend there was definitely best--for both of them. 

Remus was just brewing some coffee when he heard an exaggerated yawn and the familiar creaking of his rickety staircase. "Speak of the devil." He muttered silently to himself, smiling softly as he went about his morning routine. 

Sirius was still half yawning when he entered the room, collapsing sleepily in one of the old wooden chairs at the table. "Morning, Moony." He greeted the other in a sleep-muffled voice. "Any word from Dumbledore yet?" 

"Not lately." Remus sighed thoughtfully, buttering a piece of nicely browned toast. Ever since Sirius had been instructed to come to his friend's small house the two had been receiving weekly owls from their former headmaster with any and all information that was known regarding the rise of the dark lord. They weren't the only ones of course, several other witches and wizards who chose not to live in denial and accept Fudge's disillusionment were also eagerly awaiting anything that might clear everything up. Eventually they would meet to discuss what needed to be done, but for now they all merely waited with baited breathe for the next little piece of information they might receive. 

He was only just taking a seat at his friend's side when Remus heard a slight tapping at the window. "I'll get it." Sirius offered getting to his feet, but the other man got up just a little bit faster. 

"We can't risk anyone seeing you, Sirius." Remus reminded him, opening the window to let the delivery owl inside. 

Sirius frowned and sat back down, resting his head in his hands, annoyed. "No one's around." He said gazing up at his friend. "You make such a big deal out of everything." 

"It is a big deal." Remus told the other seriously. "The last thing either of us needs right now is for you to get caught. Could you imagine how Harry would react to that, because I sure don't want to." 

Sirius Sighed. 

"All right, all right. I'll stay away from the windows." He didn't sound quite as annoyed as before, the mention of his godson reminding him of just why his freedom was so important right now. With everything that had been going on lately he needed to be there for Harry. Even if he couldn't really be with him, he knew it gave the boy some comfort just knowing he was out there. It certainly brightened his spirits sometimes. At least he could be there if Harry really needed him, which lately, seemed to be more often than anyone deserved. "Anything from Dumbledore?" He asked hopefully, taking a small bite of his toast. 

"Just the Daily Prophet." Remus replied disappointedly, tossing it face down on the table. He'd been hoping for some new information too. "I guess we'll just have to find out if there's any news the old fashioned way." He sighed, taking his seat and flipping through the newspaper at random. "Wow, would you look at that? Seems there's a bit of a mishap down in Hogsmeade. Some kids accidentally set off a bunch of Filibuster fireworks in Zonkos. Hey, that sounds kinda familiar, didn't we do something like that back in-What the?! Sirius what's wrong with you?!" Remus exclaimed as Sirius ripped the paper from his grip. He heard a shattering noise at almost the same moment--Sirius' coffee cup hitting the floor, the warm brown liquid now all over his old floor. Remus wasn't certain whether to be worried or angry as he gazed down at his friend, and as Sirius had been too busy choking on his toast just then his question remained unanswered. 

"Sirius?" 

"How could this have happened?" A paling Sirius finally spoke--Though it was with great difficulty that he swallowed his bit of toast. 

At that, Remus decided to go with worried as his emotion of choice. "Padfoot, what is it?" He asked carefully, taking a step towards his friend. 

"Look at this!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping quickly from his seat and shoving the paper in Remus' face. "He's missing, Moony!" He said, his voice held a strange mix of fear and anger. "Harry's missing and they're making him out to be some kind of criminal!" 

Remus took the Daily Prophet a bit hesitantly, not wanting to see what was on the front cover but staring down at it just the same. Surely enough he was greeted by an uncomfortable looking picture of Harry, but what he hadn't expected was for that picture to be right beside one of his best friend. Above it the headline read: 

**

Harry Potter and Sirius Black-Partners in crime?

**

"This is all my fault." Sirius said, shaking his head slowly, sadly. "I've got to go, I have to find him!" 

Regarding his friend worriedly as he ran from the room and up the stairs, Remus wasn't quite sure what to do. He couldn't just let Sirius run out there to look for Harry, but there was no way that he would be able to stop him either. Not when Sirius was this angry. 

Scanning the paper quickly to get the basic idea of what was going on, Remus found that things were more complicated than he'd thought. Harry was running, from of all people, the ministry, because they'd intercepted a letter to Sirius. "It isn't clear yet whether Harry was kidnapped by Black in a drastic attempt to save himself or if the boy is actually in league with the deranged mass murderer..." Remus trailed off with a heavy sigh, this wouldn't get people to go after Sirius again or anything. The article went on to discuss an argument Harry'd had with Fudge that lead the minister to believe that, of all things, Harry and Sirius were behind a conspiracy to make everyone believe that You-Know-Who had returned. Something about Sirius attacking innocent families and Harry using his fame to spread wild stories that covered up the truth--which of course made no sense at all. 

"Sirius, don't be stupid!" Remus said when his friend came back down stairs, now dressed in an old dingy set of robes. "You don't even know where to look." 

"I don't care." Sirius replied, barely sparing the other a glance as he dashed through the room. "I can't just leave him out there. I wont!" 

"I don't want anything to happen to Harry either, but-" 

"I'm going Remus, you can't stop me." Sirius cut him off as Lupin grabbed his arm in a useless attempt to restrain him. 

"I can try." Remus replied, doing his damnedest to hold his friend back. "At least take a few minutes to think this through." 

"Harry might not have a few minutes. Not with Voldemort out there!" 

"Sirius, please just-" 

"Let GO!" Sirius exclaimed, finally ripping himself free of his companion's strong grip. Remus made another grab for him, barely missing the others old robes. It was too late, there was no stopping him now, and Remus could only watch as his best friend's hand reached desperately for the door knob--And hesitated. 

Sirius took a step back as someone outside suddenly pounded on the door so hard that the flimsy entry shook violently. 

"Hide." He heard Remus say softly from behind him. "Down in the cellar. If you hear anyone coming down transform. You wont be any help to anyone if someone sees you. Hurry up!" 

Nodding hurriedly, Sirius rushed out of the room in a black blur. 

Remus let out a shaky sigh. The knocking had gotten a bit more frantic and he wasn't sure he wanted to open it. With that article in the Daily Prophet who knew who it could be? What if someone had seen Sirius recently and was just now recognizing him. Or worse, what if the Ministry had gotten to Harry. Sirius wouldn't be the only one in trouble then, and what if they knew that his friend was an animagus?! Remus had half a mind to go and tell Sirius to just get out of there now. If they knew that he could transform there'd be nowhere for him to hide. 

"Coming." He said loudly, masking his nervousness with surprising accuracy. The knocking died down just a bit at the sound of his voice, but that did little to calm his apprehension. Taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what could very well be his best friend's ruin, Remus reached for the knob and turned it slowly, cautiously. 

When the door didn't fly open and hit him in the face, however, he stared on a bit confused. Surely the ministry would have flung the entry open the moment the handle twisted, intent on getting to Black before the man evaded them again. Whoever was out there was terribly eager to get in, but obviously not as ignorant or ambitious as they appeared from their heavy knocking. But who could... 

Remus gasped as the realization dawned on him, and threw the door open of his own accord, barely stunned to find himself staring down a distraught, but nonetheless relieved, Harry Potter. 

A/N: Yeah, I know, it's short...Sorry!! It just seemed like a good place to end it. I kinda like this chapter though, it may actually be my favorite so far, which is strange since nothing really happens in it. It's because of Remus and Sirius I suppose. How badly did I screw up their characterizations, BTW? Sirius seemed a bit off I think...*Sighs* Hope it wasn't too bad. Sorry again about the horrible shortness of this part! It seemed longer when I wrote it, I swear! The next few will be longer though, I promise. In fact, I'm pretty sure that all of the chapters after this will be relatively lengthy in comparison to the first ones. So, yeah, Thanx for reading...^_^; 

~~~ 

Mystic Queen: Thank you! 

Calen: lol, I'm glad you like it! Thanx for the reviews! 

Gara: I'm glad your enjoying this! Thank you for letting me know! 

A.Dee: Yep, Harry's finally safe again...for now ;) 

Starlette: I hope you liked this part, since it finally had Sirius in it! Do you think I did ok with him? Or was he too...I dunno, frantic...or...I dunno ^_^;;...Thanx for reviewing! 

wonder: I'm glad Mrs. Lawson's kindness made up for Russell's jerkiness a bit! Sirius and Remus have finally made an appearance, like it didn't take me long enough :) I hope you liked this part, even if it was terribly short! Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them! 

Silver Angel: Glad your liking this! Sorry this update took me so long! 

Kanashimi: Thank you!! I'm really glad you like this so much! I want you to know that your review was very, very much appreciated! Hope this part wasn't too disappointing! Thanx again!! 

Dark Blood AKA hermionegranger: You know, the fact that people actually think this is kind of original really makes my day! As always, thank you very much for all of your kind reviews!! 

Camel Socks: My getting rid of my writers block was really a very random. One day I just found myself writing like crazy, which means that though this chapter is pretty short the next ones definitely shouldn't be. I still don't quite know how it happen though. Anyway though, I'm glad you liked the last part! Thanx again! 


	9. Complications

A/N: Hmmm, I got this one done faster than I thought I would. Oh well, at least I can post it :) This is somewhat of a filler chapter really, it really only serves the purpose of explanation, but it's actually kinda long. Well, compared to what I've been posting anyway. I hope this part is ok, I'm still trying to nail Sirius and Remus' portrayal. I'm so glad that people think I've done ok with them so far. I just hope I can keep it up! 

Thanks to all of the readers/reviewers, I really appreciate all of your comments. I'm not usually not one to thrive on reviews (Not that don't absolutely love getting them) but lately I think they've been helping me a lot. Thank you all so much!

*******

The Edge of Forever

_Chapter Eight: Complications_

*** 

_~Things I felt yesterday don't seem to matter anymore.~_

Sirius leaned against the hard stone wall with something akin to horror piercing his heavily pounding heart. But whether that fear was all for the well being of his godson, he wasn't entirely certain. He wanted to believe that it was all for him, wanted to believe that Harry was all that he cared about right now, but part of him knew that he was worried about himself as well. Part of him knew that Remus was right and he couldn't risk himself to help the boy. Part of him knew that he was bound to be caught at any given moment if he stepped outside his friend's front door. But that part of him, he found, didn't really care. 

Of course, Harry wouldn't be too pleased if that were to happen, he was after all on the run from the ministry in order to keep _him_ safe. How would Harry feel if all of his efforts were in vain? Sirius didn't usually have the time to contemplate such things where Harry was at stake, he'd always just gone with his gut instinct, however foolish it might be...Like today. 

Perhaps the interruption he'd gotten in the course of taking action was really for the best. Whoever was knocking so heavily on the door just above him was giving him the much needed time to think things through and formulate a plan. He just hoped that whoever it was wouldn't also be the ruin of those plans. 

Glancing at the small widow on the other side of the basement, Sirius bit his lip. Could he fit through there if he had to? And even if he could, would he get through it fast enough? It didn't seem very likely, but if anything went awry it was the only escape that he had. But, now that he thought about it, the chances of escaping through there were rather slim. The walls all around him were enough to make anyone a bit nervous. The claw marks evident against the solid stone suggested that his friend kept some kind of monster locked down there as a pet. 

No, there was no escape through there. If there was any possibility of anyone other than a very small child getting through the window it would have been boarded up long ago. Remus was very careful about his transformations, he'd never take a chance at hurting someone if he could help it. And that meant that there was no escape. Sirius was trapped. 

The knocking died down then, and Sirius was surprised not to hear the mad rush of many armed ministry wizards flooding the house. In fact, he didn't hear anything at all. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He wasn't sure. if someone was here for him they obviously weren't in as much of a hurry as he'd thought. Or perhaps they were questioning Remus? What was going on? 

It was several minutes before he heard anything at all, and even then it only sounded like one or two people walking slowly across the room. It certainly didn't sound like anything to be particularly worried about, but then again, who was he to be making that decision? 

"Padfoot?" He eventually heard from the top of the stairs, a thin stream of light making it's way into the basement. "Sirius, you'd better come up here." 

Sirius furrowed his brow in confusion. Why was Remus acting so calm? It was strange, his tone seemed so casual, but did that really mean everything was all right? He briefly wondered if he should in fact go up there. What if his friend were under some strange spell? What if there was someone up there just waiting to get a glimpse of his face so that they could turn him in? Of course, if that had been the case they'd just have come down, wouldn't they? He was sort of trapped down there after all. 

Still a bit cautious about what was going on, Sirius pushed himself up off of the wall and climbed the creaking steps slowly. But when he finally did enter the small kitchen again his eye's went wide at what he saw. 

Or rather, _who_ he saw... 

"Harry?" He nearly gasped. The boy looked up at him, forcing a feeble smile to cross his tired face. 

"Hi." He said, but it came out a bit awkwardly--Like they hadn't spoken in years--and Sirius frowned down at him. 

"Harry, what are you doing here?" He asked, taking a seat across from him at the small wooden table. 

Harry chewed his lip nervously. "It's kind of a long story..." He mumbled softly, trailing off, and lowering his gaze. He hadn't realized how hard it would all be to explain. For the past two days all he'd cared about was getting safely to his godfather, but now...How could he explain it all? How could he tell Sirius what he had done? "You see...I...." 

"We know about what happened with the ministry." Remus said, hoping to move the conversation along a bit as the boy's voice faded once again. 

"You do?" He asked quickly. He was beginning to feel slightly ill. 

"Yes." Remus said shortly, tossing him a copy on that morning's Daily Prophet. "It's all in there." 

Harry's jaw dropped as he gazed down at the two faces staring up at him--One, of course, being his own and the other belonging to the confused man across from him. 'Partners in crime?' Shaking his head slowly and taking a deep breath, Harry read on. 

_**The Boy Who Lived is a legend in his own time, _writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent_. Only thirteen short years ago he saved the wizarding world the greatest threat it had ever faced when, at the tender age of one, he defeated the Dark Lord. Though he can hardly be expected to remember any of what happened on that fateful night it has not stopped him from using his past to benefit his future. Over the years he has only become more and more famous, but should such fame be so freely bestowed upon someone so young? Fame is something that can change even the strongest of people, let alone one so troubled as the young Mr. Potter. _

Far more interesting, however, are those that Harry associates himself with. Famous as he is, he seems to think himself above those who should fear criminals and murders. As was stated in a previous Daily Prophet article, Potter has found friends in Giants and Werewolves, but those aren't the only sketchy characters he seems to have taken a liking to. For instance, his relationship with convicted murder, Sirius Black. 

Black, as most know, escaped from Azkaban Fortress nearly two years ago. He had been serving a life sentence for allegedly killing thirteen people with a single curse (twelve muggles and one wizard) when he mysteriously attained his freedom. He was one of the strongest followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and in fact was a key player in the deaths of James and Lily Potter, Harry's deceased parents. So why has Harry, of all people, been in contact with him? 

An owl written by Potter was intercepted by the Ministry of Magic the day before last, addressed to none other than Sirius Black. Do to the nature of the letter (Which I am not at liberty to discuss) the Ministry believes that this wasn't the first time the two have been in contact. The Minister of Magic himself has taken control of the investigation, having brought the boy in for questioning of his own accord. 

"When I first came in I found him poking around behind my desk." Said a very frustrated Cornelius Fudge. "And when I questioned him he was very rude and refused to explain anything. He seemed rather protective of Black. Suspiciously so." 

In an interesting turn of events, Harry disappeared that very night after his audience with Fudge. His muggle uncle was hurt in the processes of his escape. It isn't clear yet whether Harry was kidnapped by Black in a drastic attempt to save himself or if the boy is actually in league with the deranged mass murderer. Fudge has a theory on the matter that might help it all make a little more sense. 

"They're obviously trying to cause chaos." He explained during an interview yesterday. "After talking to Potter, I believe that they're working together. Trying to make everyone think that You-Know-Who's returned or some such nonsense. Yes, there have been attacks, but who's to say that it wasn't Black himself? It's all a conspiracy if you ask me." 

A Ministry aid, who wished to remain anonymous, added that "He [Potter] really seemed to think You-Know-Who was back in power. I've never heard anyone mention the Dark Lord's name so casually before." 

After talking to the Minister, and others, it may be safe to assume that Harry is in fact using his fame to frighten the wizarding world into believing that something more sinister is behind the recent attacks. However, this has not yet been confirmed. 

(Everything written in this article is based on interviews with the Minister of Magic as well as several other Ministry officials, and contains none of my own speculation. Therefore I cannot be held personally accountable for anything that my not be completely true.)** 

"I can't believe her." Harry said softly, reading over the article a second time, allowing the edges of the paper to crumble under his shaking hands. "She always finds a way. Some loop hole..." 

"Who?" Remus asked the clearly disgruntled teen. 

"Rita Skeeter!" He nearly exclaimed. "She let Fudge do all of the speculating for her." 

"I take it your not a fan of Ms Skeeter?" Remus said knowingly. After everything he'd read in the Daily Prophet last year, it was really no wonder. 

Harry stifled and bitter laugh at the other's question. "Hardly." He replied, finally setting the wrinkled parchment down. Oh, Hermione was not going to be happy when she read this! 

"How did this happen, Harry?" Sirius said, joining the conversation rather abruptly. 

"Huh?" Harry furrowed his brow at the man, caught off guard by his godfather's sudden change of subject. Remus looked at the two expectantly. 

"How did this-" He took up the paper in his hands for emphasis. "-happen?" 

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but soon realized that he wasn't quite sure of what to say. They were back to that awkward conversation they'd been having when Sirius had first arrived in the room. What did they want him to say? He didn't have to tell them about the owl now, but that wasn't the only thing that had bothered him before. It really was sort of difficult to explain, especially when he wanted to leave it all at a half truth. He didn't particularly relish the idea of telling them about what had happened with his uncle. Could he really trust Sirius not to go after Vernon if he told the truth? He sighed, lowering his gaze to escape the other's inquiring stares and, for now, said nothing at all. 

"Harry?" Sirius prompted him a bit more urgently. He needed to know what was going on. Both of their lives could be at stake here. He just needed to understand. 

"Harry?" Remus put in, when after several minutes his friend's question remained unanswered. 

"What happened?" Sirius asked again, his tone was beginning to sound almost desperate. "Just tell us, we wont-" 

"I screwed up, OK?" Even Harry was surprised to hear himself speak, that much was evident in his bewildered face. He had fully intended to remain silent until he could come up with a more roundabout way of explaining it all. 

Sirius was taken aback by the boys harsh tone. There was more to this than he was letting on. "Harry," He said his name softly, gently. "Why did you send out an owl like that?" 

"I don't know." He was still mildly surprised to hear himself talking, his eye's remaining downcast and confused. "I was just kind of upset." He tried to explain, it was a flimsy excuse and he knew it. "I'm sorry." 

"Were you upset with me?" Sirius asked. 

"No!" Harry replied quickly, glancing up at him then. 

"What made you write that owl?" 

"I wasn't thinking, OK?" 

"What made you so upset that you weren't thinking, Harry?" 

If at all possible, the frown on Harry's face deepened. "My uncle was just being a jerk..." 

"I was under the impression that your uncle has always been a jerk." Remus joined the conversation once again, and Harry sighed. 

"Look, this isn't important right now. All that matters is keeping Sirius and I from getting caught! Who really cares why I did it? I did, and I'm sorry! That's it!" 

"Harry, we just want to understand-" 

"Understanding wont change things!" He cut his former professor off, getting quickly to his feet. "Who cares what happened to me? That's-" 

"I care what happened to you!" Now it was Harry's turn to be cut off, a very grim Sirius now standing before him. "The ministry's making you out to be some kind of criminal here, all because you've been in contact with me. Because of me you ran away and left yourself completely vulnerable to Voldemort. You could have been killed, Harry! You should have been safe, back at the Dursleys-" 

"I wasn't safe at the Dursleys!" 

The room was completely silent for a moment, Harry's words hanging in the air like some unlucky insect, caught in the silky fibers of a black widows web, waiting to be digested. 

"What?" Sirius' asked, his tone only made calm by the confusion behind it. 

Harry groaned inwardly, leaning on the wall behind him for support. How could he be so stupid? It was almost like he wanted to make things worse, he certainly was good at it. It was out there now though, it would only be a matter of time before they figured it all out. He'd written that owl because he thought his uncle was going to kill him. There, would that make them happy? Was that what they wanted to hear? Would that make things better? Harry chewed his lower lip and raked a nervous hand across his weary face. He didn't want to tell them, but, much to his displeasure Harry found that his mouth wouldn't quite cooperate, and that a sudden need to explain things was quickly overwhelming his need to remain quiet. Keeping secrets was no longer an option he had. 

"All right, you really want to know what happened? Fine." He said this with a defeated sigh, barely allowing himself to gaze up at the two. "My scar started hurting, and I started screaming. I ruined breakfast and mentioned Hogwarts, and I got smacked around a bit. I let it get to me a little more upset than I should have, and I guess I wasn't thinking too clearly cause I can't really remember what I put in that Owl. It's not that big of a deal." 

But Harry could tell by the look on his godfather's face that _he_ thought it was a big deal. A very big deal. "That bastard hit you?" He asked slowly, the calmness in his voice making the question all the more intense. Sirius stared at the boy severely, allowing his eye's to wander over the ghost of a bruise still lingering just below his right eye. 

Harry paled considerably as he stared back the other, he knew this was going to happen... "It was nothing. I shouldn't have made him mad." 

"I'll kill him!" Sirius exclaimed so suddenly, that both Harry and Remus started at his words. "You were supposed to be safe there! I'll teach that miserable muggle to-" 

"Sirius, no!" Harry said desperately, garbing the other's arm before he had a chance to go anywhere. "It's not worth it. They are not worth you going back to Azkaban. Your not going after them. I wont let you!" 

"Who's says they'll catch me? They never have before." Sirius whirled on him, his pale eye's an odd mix of bitter loathing and lingering fear. "If everyone's going to think I'm out there killing innocents and causing chaos I might as well deserve it, right?" 

"You can't!" Harry protested pleadingly. "Sirius, just leave it alone. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm fine." 

"It does matter, Harry. More than you realize." 

"No, it's fine! Just forget it!" 

"It's not fine!" 

"It is, Sirius! I am!" 

Remus just stood back for a moment, watching the two bewilderedly. Seeing them arguing like that was all most surreal. For the past year they had wanted nothing more than to put the past behind them and get on with their lives. To be the family they both so desperately needed. The sad thing was that both of their arguments were for the benefit of the other. They wanted only to protect each other. It was their nature. 

Of course he was nearly as upset as Sirius about the situation with the Dursleys, he was just significantly better at hiding. He was very good at hiding things. 

It was his professor side that felt the need to analyze the situation so. He, as somewhat of an outsider, could see both sides of their conflict. 

Sirius had never been a subtle man, he could never just stand back when someone he cared about had been wronged. And who was more important to him that Harry? He, understandably, wanted to get revenge for what had happened to his godson, but he never thought things through. It had gotten him into trouble in the past, and would most certainly be a great flaw for him in the future. 

Harry, who'd had a difficult life since he was a small child, was better adapted to dealing with things. He was a strong kid and could get over even the hardest of things if he was just given a bit of time. Something bad had happened to him, and he'd generally put it behind him. He knew that he had more important things to be thinking about. All that mattered to him now was that his past problems didn't affect Sirius' future. 

But then again Remus had never known the boy to be so impulsive as he'd been lately. Writing angry letters, using magic on muggles...Perhaps he couldn't see things as clearly as he'd previously thought. Either way, there was one thing that he was sure of, and that was that this argument could not be allowed to continue. It had already gone on far too long. 

Getting to his feet and taking a few cautious steps forward, Remus put himself between his fighting comrades. "You two have got to stop this." He said giving them both a very serious glance. 

The argument was cut off abruptly, but only Harry had the good sense to remain silent. 

"Remus, you heard what he said." Sirius exclaimed, gazing up at his friend. His eye's held a stubborn glint that the other had seen far too many times before. "You can't just expect me to sit back and-" 

"That's exactly what I expect you to do." Remus told his friend, with a strong hint of finality. "That's what we're all going to do. We're going to sit back, and think things through and come up with some plan that wont get anyone killed in the process." 

Sirius looked as though he was going to say something else, but the glare he was receiving from his friend just then was enough to shut anyone up. Even someone as worked up as him. 

Harry looked at his former professor with the utmost relief. Just looking at the boy's pale face a moment ago was enough to tell Remus that the argument he'd just been involved in was taking more of a toll on him than anything the Dursleys could ever hope to dish out. The boy gave him a tiny smile of gratitude, reclaiming the seat he'd occupied only moments ago. 

Sirius, though lacking a great deal of his godson's relief, did the same. 

"I think you should go to Hogwarts." Sirius said after a moment of quiet thought. As usual it only took him a few minutes of reflection to realize that he was being far too rash in his judgment. As much as he wanted to go strait to Privet Dr and pound Vernon Dursley into the ground, he knew that it would hardly make his godson's life any easier. He hadn't been there to protect Harry in the past, but he'd be damned if he let anything happen to the boy now. Not when this whole thing was really his fault. He should have known better than to put Harry in a situation where he could be linked to the evil, murdering, Sirius Black. 

"What? Why should I-" 

"It's not safe for you to be out in the open like this." Sirius reasoned, staring at the boy protectively. "Dumbledor'll keep you out of harms way-" 

"Like he did at the TriWizard Tournament?" Harry hadn't meant for it to come out so accusatory, but he guessed that it was how he really felt. He'd let himself believe that with Dumbledore around there was no reason to be afraid. That within the boundaries of Hogwarts castle he was well protected and safe. But after what had happened at the end of the year he wasn't nearly so sure. If Voldemort had found a way once, what was to stop him from doing it again? 

"Sirius is right." Remus said at the short silence that followed the boy's disturbing question. "No, being at Hogwarts doesn't mean that nothing can happen to you, but it is less likely. And besides, the ministry wont find you there if Dumbledore has anything to say about it." 

"No." Harry shook his head thoughtfully. "Sure Dumbledore can keep me hidden, but what's going to happen at the start of term? He can't hide me forever." 

"Well, you can't stay here." Sirius said, pretty much thinking out loud. "It's only a matter of time before they think to look here for you." 

"Then you can't stay here either." Harry reminded the man darkly. "We could go somewhere together. I'll just have to hide out with you for a while." 

"You can't." His godfather shook his head slowly, dark locks of hair falling over his pale eyes. "Harry, it would never work. I don't want you to have to go through that-" 

"I'm already going through that." 

"No, Harry. Half the reason I haven't been caught is because of Padfoot, and that wont work with you." 

"Oh yeah." 

"Are their any muggles you could stay with? The ministry might not think to look for you so much outside the wizarding world." Remus asked and Harry nearly found himself laughing bitterly at the question. 

"Only if I want to get arrested again." He replied sardonically, lowering his gaze. 

"What?" Both men exclaimed. 

"They put me on the muggle news." He explained with a sigh. "If anyone recognizes me they wont hesitate to call the police." 

They all went back to thinking at the boy's troubling revelation, Harry most of all. Gazing sadly at the two already burdened men, he furrowed his brow in a sullen sort of confusion. How could he have done this to them? After everything that they'd done for him, after all they'd gone through...They had enough things to deal with without worrying about him. If Sirius hadn't been directly involved in his latest crisis he doubted he would have brought them into this at all. 

There was no easy way out of this. Even if he wanted to he couldn't hide forever, and as much as he hated to admit it, Sirius couldn't either. Especially now. Nothing short of proving his godfather's innocence would put an end to this. Nothing short of finding Wormtail and presenting him to the ministry on a golden platter. But now that he thought of it, would that really be any harder than anything else they had the option of going through? 

"What if we got the ministry to believe that your innocent?" He asked Sirius pensively. His godfather raised an eyebrow. 

"Actually, Harry, that's kind of what I've been trying to do for the past two years." He reminded him incredulously, his eye's clearly asking 'Are you serious?' 

"Yeah, but maybe if I was there it would be easier." The boy said, at that very moment forming a very dangerous, and very difficult plan in the back of his mind. He'd thought that no one could fix this, but the more he mauled over it all he realized that there was one among them who could change things now. The very same one who'd screwed it all up to begin with. It could work... "Wormtail is always with Voldemort right?" 

The result was instantaneous. 

"Don't even think it!" Sirius exclaimed, catching on rather suddenly. "No! It's out of the question." 

"But-" 

"Harry, it's a stupid idea." 

"You haven't even heard me out." 

"I don't have to hear you out, I know what your thinking and the answer in no." Sirius' gaze was very final, but Harry still looked as though he were about to protest it. "No!" He said again as the boy began to open his mouth. "You want us to use you as bait. Well, it's not going to happen." 

"But how else-" 

"Think about what your saying, Harry." Remus cut in. "What you're suggesting is suicide. For both of you. Getting yourselves killed is hardly going to make things any better." 

Harry sighed and looked away. Remus was right. He was always right. A fact that was becoming more than a little annoying. "All right, so it was a stupid idea." He admitted regretfully. But as he let his eye's wander over the two men sitting across from him still trying to figure something out he had to wonder, was there really anything else they could do? 

The frown on his face deepened considerably as he went over it all once more. No, he decided mournfully. There was no other way. 

Too bad he'd never be able to pull it off... 

*** 

A/N: OK, that parts done. Were the characterizations still ok? *Crosses fingers* Is Harry still the same Harry he's been throughout? I've gotten a few comments about him being different from the way most people write Harry because he's not so meek and depressed, and I kind of like it that way. But keeping him like that is going to get a bit harder as this fic goes on. But, hey, here's hoping ^_^ 

~~~ 

zorra: Thank you! Yeah, Harry can't stay there. That's the sad part. And I know what you mean about keeping track of HP stories. It really can be difficult! 

Starlette: I'm really glad you think I did ok with Sirius! 'Twas a bit worried there :) The ministry is frustrating. That's mostly 'cause Fudge is such a knockout minister of magic! Dumbledore wont really have a big part in this, but he will definitely be involved. Thanx for reviewing!

wonder: Thank you! I'm so glad your enjoying this, and that the last chapter was all right! That part at the beginning was really fun to write. I'm such a little Remus nerd sometimes :) Most times...*Grins* I guess Sirius would go crazy like that. Of course, he's a bit nuts in this chapter too, and probably most of them from now. I'm gonna have to work on calming down a bit, I think. I love Sirius and Remus too! They are such great characters, I'm so glad you think I did ok with them! Thanx again!

Kanashimi: Yep, Harry's finally there! Took forever, but there he is. Yes, Remus would be a bit of trouble if the ministry figured out that he was helping them, but he doesn't seem like the type to worry about himself in that sense. Dumbledore wont help them as much as you might think, but he will be there. Thank you for reviewing!

Gryffindorgurl987: Thanx! I'm glad you're enjoying this! I try not to take too long between updates, but sometimes I get a bit...err...I dunno, but hopefully I wont take to long with the rest of this :)

A.Dee: Sirius has a tendency to do some dumb things when it comes to Harry :) I too am glad that he finally got to Sirius and Remus! Thanx!

Silver Angel: Was that really that bad f a cliffie? Sorry 'bout that! It just seemed like a good place to stop. Well, you know how Sirius and Remus have reacted so far. No ones come after Harry just yet, but the sure will be if he sticks around. Thank you for reviewing!!

Lee Lee Potter: I'll try not to beat myself up so much, I just worry about what I'm writing sometimes. Most times -_-;; I'm glad Sirius' reaction seemed realistic enough! Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like this!

Calen: Yeah, he's finally there. Thanx! 

naughtynat: Thank you!! I'm really glad you like this! You put it on your favorites list? Wow thanx! 

Camel Socks: Yep, they're finally together! I love the Marauders too! Especially Sirius and Remus! They're definitely among my favs! Thanx again!

ninerings: I'm glad you like how I wrote Harry! I don't think that he's nearly as weak as he seems in a lot of fics, and I was really trying to get away from that!

WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Yeah, the knight bus would have made it easier, but that would have been way to easy! Plus, he might have been caught if he rode it. Not that he wasn't caught anyway, but still ^_^; Thank you very much!

padfoot1979: Thank you! I'm glad you like this! and that my characterizations of Remus and Sirius were ok! No, things definitely wont be easy for Harry now! Things just keep getting worse. Plus Harry is beginning to think somewhat...dangerously... 

Saya-Sato: You like my Sirius? *Grins* Thank you! I'm glad you think this is somewhat original. And don't worry, any review I can get makes me very, very happy! Thanx again! 

Dark Blood AKA hermionegranger: Thanx again for reviewing! I'm glad you think I did all right on it! 


End file.
